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Welch’s Transport has opened a new megawatt-scale eHGV charging hub at its Cambridge HQ as part of the government’s zero emission programme eFREIGHT 2030.
Powered by Voltempo’s HyperCharger technology, the new Duxford hub features six high-power charging bays, with two full-length drive-in, drive-out bays for complete tractor and trailer combinations and four tractor-unit bays, delivering up to 1MW of power distributed across the site.
The Cambridge hub joins Welch’s six bay 1MW charging hub at Bedford, also delivered under the eFREIGHT 2030 project, giving the family-owned operator high-power charging infrastructure across both of its depots.
The company began its electric HGV journey in 2023 with a 19-tonne Renault Trucks E-Tech D Wide.
In 2024, it became the first operator to put an electric tractor unit on the road through eFREIGHT 2030, introducing the first of two 42-tonne Renault Trucks E-Tech T delivered through the programme.
Further investment has seen a third E-Tech T and a DAF electric tractor unit join the fleet, with three 28-tonne Renault Trucks E-Techs also on order. By January 2027, 12% of Welch’s fleet will be electric.
MD Chris Welch said: “We made the decision early on that we wanted to be at the forefront of electric freight, but it has always had to make commercial sense.
“We’ve invested in the trucks, learned how to operate them in the real world and now have the high-power infrastructure at Cambridge and Bedford to support the next stage.
“We’re growing the business and winning significant new contracts, with our sustainability credentials increasingly important to customers.
“Our investment in electric freight is supporting that growth and strengthening our proposition as we compete for new business.”
Through Voltempo’s DepotCharge model, Welch’s is opening spare capacity at both sites to approved third-party fleets, improving utilisation and generating new revenue from its charging infrastructure.
Simon Smith, CEO of Voltempo, said: “This is an exciting milestone for Welch’s and eFREIGHT 2030 as we build out the UK’s largest network of megawatt-scale depot charging infrastructure, putting the high-power charging in place to support electric HGVs in real-world operations.”
eFREIGHT 2030 is part of the government’s zero emission HGV and infrastructure demonstrator (ZEHID) Programme, delivered in partnership with Innovate UK.
The consortium is introducing 88 electric HGVs and establishing charging infrastructure across 36 sites, as part of a multi-year real-world evaluation of zero-emission road freight.
