- As the UK’s major Port of Tilbury, located east of London, drives towards a zero-emission future, fleet electrification specialists Fleete have unveiled a major project to construct an commercial electric vehicle charging hub within the port.
- The 5MW hub will be able to rapidly charge up to 16 electric trucks simultaneously, supporting the 60-plus companies operating at the port in switching to electric forms of transport.
- It is the first project to be funded by the UK government’s new Freeport seed capital programme, with £1 million worth of seed funding awarded to Fleete to build this new hub.
Fleete begins construction on new public electric truck charging hub
These ultra-rapid chargers will be capable of delivering up to 360kW, being optimised for electric commercial vehicles such as electric HGVs. While the charging points will support the 60-plus businesses operating at the port in transitioning to electric commercial vehicles, this facility will also be open to passing eHGV traffic – including the 3,000-plus HGVs that pass through the port every day (with the number of those being fully-electric primed to rise), and will serve as a charging point along the A13 route into central London.
This eHGV charging hub at the Port of Tilbury is just one of many that Fleete plan to open in the country, over the coming years. Having the right truck charging infrastructure, in the right locations, will be the key for allowing transport fleets to adopt electric trucks in high numbers. To this point, Milence recently opened its first UK truck charging hub earlier this month, which was also strategically located at the Able Humber Port in the north of England. If projects such as these two continue, then increased eHGV adoption will naturally follow – as we discovered earlier this year, the trucks themselves are already extremely capable – it’s just the charging infrastructure that needs to grow to make them a viable option for all fleets.
Chris Morrison, Chief Investment Officer at Fleete, commented:
“We are delighted to begin work on the first of our network of shared electric HGV Charging Hubs throughout the UK, starting with our 5MW project at Tilbury which is expected to be the largest of its kind in the UK once fully operational. Our close collaboration with the Port of Tilbury, along with significant funding from Thames Freeport, is a testament to their commitment to accelerating the shift to zero-emission fleets with this critical infrastructure development.”
Thames Freeport CEO, Martin Whiteley, added:
“We are thrilled to announce the launch of the largest commercial vehicle recharging hub at Thames Freeport. This milestone underscores our commitment to driving innovation and sustainability in the logistics and transportation sectors. By providing state-of-the-art recharging infrastructure capable of supporting a significant volume of commercial vehicles, we are not only facilitating the transition to cleaner energy but also reinforcing Thames Freeport’s position as a leader in green growth and economic development. This hub is a testament to our vision of creating a future-ready, environmentally responsible logistics ecosystem.”
