Data needed to drive investment in HGV charging

Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV) operators are being urged to help drive forward the transition to battery electric trucks, by providing researchers with essential data.

The Centre for Sustainable Road Freight at Heriot-Watt University has published the second of three reports commissioned by Transport Scotland, and is calling for fleets to provide more information to guide the final report.

The second publication used a high-quality sample of road haulage data to understand exactly where en-route charging stations need to be built for Battery Electric Heavy Goods Vehicles (BEVs) across Scotland.

It found that the charging infrastructure needed for all HGVs in Scotland will comprise at least 63 en-route charger locations, of which 23 are already built or under development – meaning approximately 40 additional sites are required.

Dr Dhanan Utomo, an expert in logistics simulation at Heriot-Watt University and Principal Investigator for the Transport Scotland research, said:“ We’re using a state-of-the-art approach that combines data from real-world HGV routes with sophisticated computer simulations. This approach allows us to map in detail where future zero carbon charging and fuelling infrastructure is most urgently needed on Scotland’s road network.

“We look forward to our research progressing work to decarbonise Scotland’s road freight sector.”

Cabinet Secretary for Transport Fiona Hyslop said: “This new report helps us to see how much further we need to go to support the transition to battery electric trucks.

“We know that substantial extra capacity is going to be required and we need HGV fleet operators to provide journey data to enable more robust investment decisions to be made.

“With more data reflecting a wider variety of HGV routes, we can map out where those additional charging sites would have the most impact.

“This is all part of the Scottish Government’s wider work on the Heavy Goods Vehicle Decarbonisation Pathway for Scotland, which is our plan to help the HGV sector transition to zero emission trucks – improving air quality and protecting the climate, while supporting sustainable economic growth.”