Energy storage through the use of high-capacity batteries could be the solution to preventing power cuts and keeping the supply chain running as fossil fuels are phased out, according to a new report.

Toyota Material Handling (UK) said the electrification of road transport meant energy would have to be stored in sufficient quantities to sustain a constant electricity supply in the UK.

It said that potentially, batteries would need to be developed that could store enough energy to run entire industrial sites, or even power cities.

Its comments followed a warning last month by energy storage provider Connected Energy that a lack of capacity in the grid was threatening to roadblock the roll-out of electric trucks,

“There is no doubt that high-capacity batteries will become a part of the overall energy landscape,” said Gary Ison, Toyota Material Handling’s product development manager.

“Battery manufacturers and OEMs are in a race to develop high capacity batteries that are not only capable of powering electric vehicles, such as forklifts, over a sustained period after the briefest recharging time, but are also big enough to store the energy generated by the sun and the wind to allow essential electricity supplies to be maintained at times when the sun isn’t shining and the wind isn’t blowing.”

Toyota’s Trends in Logistics 2024 report said there was growing optimism that solid state batteries could be the solution, which are denser and therefore can have up to 10 times the capacity of a lithium-ion unit of the same size.

It added that there was also growing enthusiasm among operators for alternative fuels such as hydrotreated vegetable oil and hydrogen technology.

“For forklift truck users that have the benefit of an on-site hydrogen supply, hydrogen fuel cells can be refuelled in just a few minutes and allow emission-free operation,” said Ison.

“Transitioning to new sustainable energy sources is one of the most significant issues facing the supply chain sector.

“And while the move from internal combustion engines to electric vehicles across the industry is advanced, concerns regarding grid capacity and availability of electricity generated by renewable sources haven’t yet disappeared,” he added.

“These concerns are causing some companies to delay investment in new technology and, ultimately, risk undermining efforts to turn the UK’s net zero ambitions into reality.”

Connected Energy said in July that high-capacity EV chargers needed for HGVs required up to 50 times the power of car and van charge points and that the local grid supply would not support a charger of 150kW, never mind a 350kW unit in the majority of cases.

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