- Fleet electrification struggles with slow charging and grid limitations, with upgrades taking up to three years and millions.
- TUAL’s PowerUp Charger delivers fast, battery-buffered DC charging, increasing depot capacity by 250% without expensive grid upgrades.
- A Wincanton trial enabled 3,138 clean-air miles, saved 1,560kg CO2, and supported 19 electric vans in 15 minutes.
TUAL unveils the PowerUp Charger, making fleet electrification a grid-free possibility
Fleet electrification is the future of sustainable transport, but one major challenge is slowing it down—charging infrastructure. Many fleet operators are concerned about slow charging speeds and grid capacity issues. Upgrading the grid to facilitate large-scale depot charging often takes 1 to 3 years, costing up to £3 million. So, TUAL, creators of innovative off-grid charging solutions, has been working out a new solution.
This battery-buffered, rapid-deployment DC charger is proving to be a breakthrough. A recent trial with Wincanton, a leading supply chain company, showed just how effective it can be. The charger was deployed at Wincanton’s West London depot and was fully operational in just 15 minutes.
The results were impressive. Before the PowerUp Charger, the depot could only manage 1.2 low-power (AC) charges per day. With TUAL’s solution, that number jumped to 4.9 high-power (DC) charges daily. This boosted depot charging capacity by up to 250%—without requiring expensive grid upgrades.
The impact goes beyond just efficiency. Over the month-long trial, Wincanton’s electric vans drove 3,138 clean-air miles, saving 1,560kg of CO2 emissions. It’s a step forward in their mission to achieve net-zero operations by 2040.
Philip Clarke, CEO and Founder of TUAL, commented:
“Myself and the whole TUAL team are delighted to see Wincanton and their clients benefit from our battery-buffered DC PowerUp Charger technology – successfully delivering the dependable, cost-effective, and rapidly deployable fast charging that lies at the core of our mission.
That undertaking is a critically important one in the shift to sustainable fleet operations; businesses across the UK needing to electrify are faced with sites that don’t have the grid capacity to make an efficient transition possible. We’re excited to continue our work in helping fleets to electrify faster, and would like to thank Wincanton for their commitment and passion for innovation in realising that mission.”
Many fleet operators face similar grid constraints. 50-80% of sites looking to electrify lack sufficient grid connections. Traditional solutions are too slow and too costly. The PowerUp Charger solves this problem by using energy storage and fast DC charging in one package. It draws power when it’s most efficient and releases it when needed. It can even integrate with renewable energy sources, making it a flexible and future-proof option.
Claire Charlton, Head of Innovation at Wincanton, added:
“On behalf of the whole Wincanton team, I’d like to extend our thanks to TUAL for their cutting-edge technology and their professionalism throughout this pilot. Solutions such as TUAL’s are central to making our net-zero ambitions happen, and smart innovation is essential for helping businesses expedite the expansion of their fleet electrification, cost-effectively. I would also like to extend my thanks to DfT and Connected Places Catapult for delivering the hugely successful Freight Innovation Fund programme.”
Fleet electrification is critical for reducing emissions and meeting sustainability targets. But without fast, accessible charging, progress will stall. TUAL’s PowerUp Charger is proving that charging infrastructure doesn’t have to be a roadblock. It’s a powerful tool for speeding up the transition to a cleaner, more efficient future.
