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Weeks of waiting, a significantly smaller parking area and a project that would almost certainly have to be broken into phases: this is what a large operator should prepare for if it wants to electrify its truck fleet. Even where grid capacity is available, converting an existing depot will take time. Potentially a great deal of it.
One of the barriers most frequently raised in discussions about electric HGVs is Britain’s limited public charging network. Close behind it, however, comes another question: what could the electricity grid support at the trucks’ home depot?
Freight Carbon Zero tested the issue with a hypothetical scenario. What would happen if a large UK operator wanted to install charging infrastructure for 100 battery-electric HGVs at an existing depot? Could the grid cope, and how quickly could the fleet begin operating?
We put the scenario to distribution network operator Northern Powergrid and HGV charging infrastructure specialist Voltempo.
Neither would attach a standard capacity or cost to a 100-truck depot. Both said the answer would depend on the vehicles, routes, daily energy use, dwell times, charging strategy and existing site capacity.
Northern Powergrid did, however, provide one immediate indication of the timetable: a connection offer for a large demand project can take up to 65 working days, or around 13 weeks.
That is only the time required to receive the offer. Construction, reinforcement and the depot works would follow.
The network operator said demand of around 8–10MW or more may require consideration of a higher-voltage connection instead of a standard 11kV supply. This does not mean every 100-truck depot would need that capacity, but intensive operations or short charging windows could push demand into that range.
Paul Jordan, chief commercial officer at Voltempo, said it was difficult to imagine an existing depot electrifying 100 trucks in one phase. Infrastructure would normally be introduced progressively alongside the vehicles. Operators may therefore need to establish how many trucks their existing connection can support before planning later stages.
Space could be almost as difficult as power. Voltempo noted that, where charging equipment takes up existing parking space, losing one in every three or four bays is not uncommon. Where equipment can be placed at the ends of bays, the loss may be closer to one in five.
The grid itself is also only one potential cause of delay. The companies listed planning approvals, landlord consent, wayleaves across third-party land, environmental surveys, specialist equipment procurement and civil engineering carried out around a working depot as possible obstacles.
Operators may nevertheless be able to start before the full connection is complete. Staged, flexible or non-firm connections could support an initial fleet where some capacity is available, alongside smart charging or temporary systems combining batteries with HVO-powered generators.
