£190m motorway charging scheme offers no guarantee of power for eHGVs

The government is planning to use projected demand from electric HGVs, cars, vans, coaches and motorcycles to determine how much electricity motorway service areas could need up to 2050.

But operators of charging sites will be able to apply for the resulting capacity on a first-come, first-served basis. There will be no allocation specifically for HGV charging or any requirement for sites to provide HGV-accessible charging bays.

That means eHGV demand could help determine the scale of investment in the electricity network without guaranteeing that electric trucks will get access to the power created.

The Department for Transport’s Strategic Charging Infrastructure scheme is intended to strengthen grid connections at selected motorway service areas where the cost of securing additional capacity is considered commercially unviable.

The DfT has published an illustrative list of 20 sites that could be eligible for support. Estimated 2035 connection costs at Clacket Lane, Tebay, Donington Park and Hilton Park are each above £20m.

Under the proposal, the government would contract with connection providers to build infrastructure including substations and cabling. The resulting capacity would then be temporarily reserved for “open-access” EV charging.

However, the DfT’s definition of open access relates to who can use a charger rather than the type of vehicle it can accommodate. It does not require every charger or charging bay to be suitable for an HGV.

Chargepoint companies and motorway service area operators would pay a subsidised “second-comer charge” to take up the capacity. The DfT’s preferred approach is a single national charge based on the size of the electricity connection, with £150,000 to £250,000 per MVA (megavolt-ampere) of capacity identified as the range at which industry has proceeded with previous grid investments.

The government subsidy would cover the network connection work rather than the chargers themselves. Companies would still be responsible for meters, private on-site electrical infrastructure, substations and charging equipment.

The scheme comes as operators face significant costs in installing their own depot charging infrastructure.

Analysis by transport decarbonisation consultancy Cenex for Freight Carbon Zero found that a small haulier introducing a single 44-tonne electric HGV could spend around £46,000 on its first depot charger and installation, even where the existing electricity supply is sufficient.

A new grid connection could roughly double the overall cost, according to Cenex.

Separate government support currently offers grants of up to £1m towards depot charging infrastructure and up to £81,000 towards the purchase of the heaviest zero-emission trucks.

The British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (BVRLA), which represents the rental, leasing and fleet sector, welcomed the motorway scheme but warned that investment also needs to address charging at operators’ own sites.

“For many HGV operators, the preferred model is to charge vehicles at their own depots, so support for public charging needs to be accompanied by action to unlock the grid capacity required for depot charging,” it said.