EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

• Voltempo’s first live megawatt-scale eHGV charging hub in the East Midlands has gone into operation, supporting Kuehne+Nagel’s UK overland fleet
• The launch, the first of 25 planned hubs as part of eFREIGHT 2030, enables eHGVs to recharge in less than 30 minutes at the site
• Simon Smith, CEO of Voltempo, said the initial deployment was a ‘significant milestone for zero emission freight’

Electric charging specialist Voltempo has opened its first live megawatt-scale electric HGV charging hub in the East Midlands, supporting Kuehne+Nagel’s UK overland fleet.

The East Midlands Gateway hub, designed and implemented by Voltempo, is the first Megawatt Charging System-ready (MCS) eHGV charging hub to go into live operation in the UK. The charging hub will initially serve 12 Kuehne+Nagel eHGVs operating across regional, national, and international routes.

The system is built upon Voltempo’s HyperCharger technology and MCS, which offers dynamic, data-based charging options and delivers over 1MVA (megavolt-ampere) of power. Future electric HGVs can potentially recharge in less than 30 minutes at the site, the first of 25 planned HyperCharger hubs, which has six DC charging bays powered by a single megawatt-scale HyperCharger.

The move is a key initial step in the eFREIGHT 2030 initiative, of which Voltempo is a leader, where 100 electric HGV 4×2 and 6×2 tractor units will be introduced, as well as a planned ‘32 new charging locations with megawatt-charging capacity from day one.’

Voltempo said it was ‘proud to be powering a major step forward for zero-emission logistics’.

“This first deployment of Voltempo’s HyperCharger at Kuehne+Nagel’s depot is a significant milestone for zero emission freight,” said Simon Smith, CEO of Voltempo. “As lead partner and charging infrastructure provider for eFREIGHT 2030, our focus has been on delivering infrastructure that works for real-world freight operations today, while being ready for the next generation of high-power electric and autonomous HGVs tomorrow.”

Elsewhere, Voltempo announced that, alongside Kuehne+Nagel, LeShuttle Freight and DAF Trucks, the first eHGV has been successfully sent through the Channel Tunnel. The journey, which began at the East Midlands Gateway depot, totalled 1,700 kilometres across five countries.

“By demonstrating that eHGVs can use LeShuttle Freight, this partnership accelerates the industry’s shift to more sustainable logistics and proves that with Eurotunnel, sustainable cross-Channel transport is practical, efficient and ready to scale,” Voltempo noted.