New Megawatt Charging Sites and Shared Depot Access Drive UK Commercial Transport Decarbonisation

Welcome to Net Zero News, your daily briefing on the UK’s transition to a low‑carbon future.

In recent weeks, the UK has witnessed key advances in net‑zero transport infrastructure targeting the heavy goods vehicle (HGV) and commercial fleet sectors. Notable deployments include the launch of megawatt‑scale charging sites and a pioneering shared EV depot charging model, reinforcing the backbone of the logistics decarbonisation drive.

The eFREIGHT 2030 consortium has officially opened its first megawatt‑scale charging site at Kuehne+Nagel’s East Midlands Gateway depot, utilising Voltempo’s HyperCharger system. This hub delivers up to one megawatt of power enough to charge next‑generation eHGVs in under 30 minutes and marks the start of a planned UK rollout involving 35 such depot charging hubs funded through the government’s Zero Emission HGV and Infrastructure Demonstrator (ZEHID) programme in partnership with Innovate UK.

Complementing this national effort, Fleete launched a 5 MW electric charging facility at the Port of Tilbury, equipped with 16 ultra‑rapid chargers. Funded by the Thames Freeport Seed Capital Programme and the ZEHID initiative, this hub supports zero‑emission HGVs operating through this critical logistics corridor, reducing infrastructure barriers for electrifying fleets without depot upgrades.

Meanwhile, First Bus introduced ‘First Charge’, a shared depot charging programme spanning across 15 depots in Scotland and England. The Glasgow Caledonia depot leads by opening its high-powered EV charging infrastructure to the public, with rates ranging from 150 to 350 kW. This model, already being accessed by operators such as DPD and Openreach, is now further integrated into Allstar’s payment network, streamlining access for fleets and fleets of all sizes.

These developments demonstrate a concerted shift toward scalable, shared, and high-power charging infrastructure. They reflect multiple industry-government collaborations aiming to ease fleet electrification and address the infrastructure gap across the logistics ecosystem.

What this means:

These recent infrastructure breakthroughs offer a more compelling business case for fleet electrification: megawatt hubs significantly reduce charging downtime, while depot access removes high capital barriers for smaller operators. The Port of Tilbury’s first‑of‑its‑kind hub showcases that strategic infrastructure placements can drive cleaner freight flows at scale. First Charge illustrates a versatile, shared‑use model suited to urban settings, opening up facilities that were previously exclusive to operators. Together, these efforts accelerate the transition to zero‑emission transport across freight and passenger sectors, support UK net‑zero targets, and advance the groundwork for future innovations in transport decarbonisation.

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