UK Freight Goes Green: Electric Trucks Scale Up in 2025–2026

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

The UK logistics sector is making significant strides in decarbonising freight transport, driven by electric heavy goods vehicles (eHGVs), collaborative charging infrastructure projects, and innovative use of low‑carbon fuels.

In mid‑2025, Wincanton took delivery of 24 electric‑powered trucks from DAF, Volvo and Renault. These vehicles, capable of handling more than 40 tonnes, are expected to cut the company’s CO2 emissions by around 2,400 tonnes annually. Charging infrastructure has been installed at key depots in Greenford, Portbury, its Scotland Gateway hub near Glasgow, and Northamptonshire, developed in partnership with Voltempo and Gridserve. The initiative, part of the Electric Freightway and eFREIGHT 2030 consortia under the Zero Emission HGV and Infrastructure Demonstrator (ZEHID) programme, marks an important step in Wincanton’s net‑zero roadmap toward 2040.

By late 2025, further progress came with ZENFreight deploying its first electric HGV. DFDS introduced a Volvo FM Electric eHGV operating in Liverpool with support from the deployment of a high‑capacity charging site featuring four 360 kWh bays capable of full recharge in two hours. This marks the first live installation under the ZENFreight initiative, part of the ZEHID programme, and demonstrates real‑world viability of eHGVs on fixed delivery routes.

Broader momentum across UK logistics is evident through the Electric Freightway project: participating fleets have collectively driven over half a million zero‑emission miles, with 79 electric HGVs delivered and another 78 on order. Most notably, a shared 10‑bay eHGV charging hub has been established at Nissan’s Sunderland plant, underpinning shared infrastructure models and paving the way for scalable electric freight operations. Critically, the project shows that, for high‑mileage use cases, total cost of ownership for eHGVs could reach parity with diesel within five years.

In December 2025, Royal Mail began operating eight 42‑tonne electric DAF XD 350E HGVs between its Midlands and North West parcel hubs. Powered via ABB T360 chargers that add up to 60 miles in under 15 minutes, these vehicles are expected to cut approximately 1,000 tonnes of CO2 per year. Installed chargers at Daventry and Warrington depots serve as critical infrastructure. Royal Mail’s broader net‑zero plan includes over 7,000 electric vans charged using 100% renewable electricity, aiming for broader fleet decarbonisation by 2040.

Simultaneously, the logistics sector has called for a pragmatic, technology‑neutral approach. Logistics UK and the Sustainable Logistics Forum, supported by Zemo, highlighted that while zero‑tailpipe emission HGVs remain the long‑term goal, current limitations in vehicle cost, grid readiness, payload, and charging access make low‑carbon fuels (such as biomethane and renewable liquid fuels) an essential near‑to‑mid‑term solution, especially in heavier weight categories. The coalition argues that expanding low‑carbon fuel use across half of the 44‑tonne fleet by 2035 could cut emissions by up to 45%.

Meanwhile, policy analysis continues to frame strategic action. The Green Alliance report “Charging Ahead” outlines a roadmap to accelerate zero‑emission HGV uptake in the UK. It identifies grid and energy access constraints, limited vehicle availability, unclear costs, and planning hurdles as key barriers. It recommends coordinated, de‑risked investment in vehicles and infrastructure, regulatory reform, and better collaboration across government, energy, and logistics sectors, including promotion of shared charging hubs and logistics clusters.

Across Wales, Zemo Partnership and the Welsh Government are launching a two‑year, £1 million programme to accelerate commercial vehicle decarbonisation. The initiative will deliver a “no‑regrets” measures package, combining multiple technologies and supporting fleet operators to reduce emissions fairly and effectively. It will also host two Moving to Zero events: one in West Wales on 25 February 2026, addressing heavy and industrial freight; and another in Cardiff on 26 March 2026, focusing on urban logistics and last‑mile delivery systems.

What this means:
This wave of action shows that UK freight’s low‑carbon transition is accelerating but challenges remain. Electric HGV deployments by Wincanton, DFDS via ZENFreight, and Royal Mail demonstrate the viability of zero‑emission freight. Shared charging hubs, especially commercial installations like Sunderland, are essential to scale. However, grid capacity, infrastructure, and vehicle costs remain major constraints. The industry’s push for low‑carbon fuels highlights the importance of flexible strategies to decarbonise harder‑to‑abate freight segments immediately. National strategy frameworks, funding, regulatory reform, and cross‑sector collaboration are critical to unlocking broader adoption.

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