We’re seeing more affordable electric vehicles and even more electric infrastructure to support this acceleration, but can these developments reach the haulage industry? Are electric HGVs something we can expect to see more of?
Marion Hanson
Marketing Assistant
According to ZapMap, at the end of February 2025, there were approximately 2.19 million plug-in cars registered in the UK, including over 1.41 million battery-electric cars and over 775,000 plug-in hybrids.
In this blog, we’ll examine the hurdles faced by electric HGVs and heavy-duty vehicles, some of the companies working to develop them, and what other viable alternatives could help increase the haulage industry's sustainability plans..
HGV (heavy goods vehicle) is the term used for any commercial vehicle that weighs more than 3.5 tonnes. Traditionally, HGVs are powered by diesel or petrol, but there is a change coming in much the same way as has been seen with cars, and that is with the provision of electric HGVs. An electric HGV will use one or more electric motors, which are powered by battery packs that are rechargeable, powering the motor.
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There are multiple benefits to electric HGVs, and for any business relying on Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGV), there is a need to research and look at these benefits to see why it makes sense to make the transition away from a diesel fleet of HGVs as soon as is practicably possible. The benefits of a fully-fledged electric HGV fleet include:
The biggest advantage of transitioning to electric HGVs is that it will significantly reduce the environmental impact of the haulage company.
Electric vehicles have zero emissions, lowering the carbon footprint of the vehicle when compared with a diesel model - improving air quality.
Although electric models of HGVs are currently more expensive than diesel models this is likely to change over the next few years as the technology for electric vehicles improves and there are batteries available that will provide a greater power capacity for heavy loads and long distances.
When you consider the lower maintenance requirements for electric vehicles, there are other cost savings that can be made over a long period of time.
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is an important part of modern business ideals.
By adopting electric HGVs and providing a clear plan to transition to these models, a company can meet long-term sustainability goals whilst improving brand recognition to a wider audience of both customers and suppliers.
It is relatively early days for the charging network in the UK for electric vehicles.
To improve to a point that it needs to be at for widespread adoption of electric vehicles, and for massive industries such as the haulage industries to adopt electric HGVs on a wide scale basis, there will need to be investment from both a government level and industry.
The biggest issues facing electric HGVs is the availability of charging stations and the length of time it takes to charge a larger vehicle. Installation of charging stations designed to accommodate larger vehicles such as HGVs is a good start for businesses with HGVs as part of their fleet.
As we move forward over the next few years, expect there to be an improvement in the provision of charging stations that can cope with HGVs across a much larger network than is currently available.
For example, Milence has launched its first UK electric truck charging hub in Immingham, and Moto plans to roll out a national network of 300 electric HGV charging bays across 23 motorway service superhubs by 2030.
When electrifying the haulage industry, the most significant difficulty is tackling the weight of heavy-duty vehicles. With HGVs weighing up to 18 tonnes, batteries that have been effectively developed for electric cars and vans are not powerful enough to move these heavy vehicles effectively, and upscaling the batteries adds further weight to these already heavy vehicles.
The long-haul journeys that many heavy-duty vehicles regularly undertake are also a hurdle for creating electric trucks and HGVs. We’re seeing the range of EVs reaching the 200-mile marker, but with long-haul truckers travelling as much as 700 miles in a day, this sort of range is simply inefficient and would require time-consuming recharging stops.
Despite these difficulties, a number of businesses are making waves with their electric trucks and heavy-duty vehicles. While they are still some way off creating heavy-duty EVs that can traverse 500+ miles on one charge, they are making a good start by bringing the mileage capacity we are seeing in smaller vehicles to HGVs.
Whilst EVs may not yet be a viable option for long-haul journeys, these companies are making it possible for the movement of large quantities of goods in short-haul journeys to be made less impactful on the environment.
When comparing electric vehicles with diesel and petrol vehicles, the question of speed will come up in discussion.
For an electric HGV, the top speed will always depend on the power of the battery and the load capacity of the HGV. As they are designed to transport cargo over both short and long distances, electric HGVs are designed with the focus on cargo capacity and torque, rather than higher top speeds.
Providing consistency of performance and efficiency is much more important for haulage companies as 50 MPH is the average speed for these electric HGV’s travel at.
Charging an EV HGV can take anything from 30 minutes to eight hours depending on the battery capacity, AC or DC charging technology and the charger's output.
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As electric HGV’s are becoming increasingly popular. Below are some models that are becoming well known within the fleet industry.
Tevva is the UK truck manufacturer and technology company accredited with the creation of Britain’s first 7.5-tonne electric truck, and they are supporting medium and heavy-duty urban freight and logistic operators to cut down on harmful emissions. Currently, the mileage on their fully electric truck is 110 miles, which is an excellent means of increasing the sustainability of short-haul truck journeys.
Tevva recently rolled out a hydrogen electric model of their 7.5-tonne truck, boosting the mileage of the fully electric one from 110 to 272 miles. Taking just 10 minutes to refuel with hydrogen and with a 90% charge time of 5 hours, this model will be available from 2023.
DAF has been manufacturing trucks for over 50 years and is another company at the forefront of electric HGV development in the UK and Europe. Stressing the importance of “efficient charging systems, robust electric motors, electric PTO options, and more” in the design process of their electric trucks, DAF has developed electric HGVs that offer a mileage of up to 310 miles.
Their trucks brag about fast charging times, with their biggest battery vehicles taking only 2 hours to reach 100% charge. This gives these vehicles a more flexible range of applications and limits the time hindrances often associated with EV battery charging.
New technological developments often come with a price tag that isn’t widely accessible. The same applies to the electric HGVs we are seeing being developed. These impressive vehicles can cut down emissions significantly, but until they are competitively priced, their uptake is not likely to be high.
However, electric trucks are expected to become cost-competitive by 2030, a time frame in which we can also expect to see further developments for EVs, including increased battery capacity and mileage. Eventually, electric and hydrogen-powered trucks may even overtake their combustion engine competitors as the cheaper option, a shift that would have great benefits for businesses economically and sustainability.
There are a few different incentives that the government has in place to promote the adoption of electric vehicles. For HGVs in particular, the following support is available:
This is a grant that is available for electric HGVs and other types of electric vehicles. There is a discount of £25,000 for eligible vehicles and for an HGV to qualify it must be heavier in weight than 12,000kg and have an electric-only range of at least 96km.
There is no need to apply for the PIVG Grant like you would for other OZEV (Office for Zero Emission Vehicles) grants, with the HGV dealer at the time of purchase including the grant discount in the overall value of the vehicle. This is a process that makes it much more straightforward for businesses to use the grant and to adopt electric vehicles, rather than requiring the time to fill out an application and go through the process before being awarded a grant.
There are various things to consider when integrating electric HGVs into existing fleet operations.
The first is to look for expert assistance from a company that can implement a network of charge points and a charge point management system. This helps to provide enhanced operational transparency, optimisation of journey planning and schedules of charging to ensure all HGVs are working in optimal conditions.
Alongside this there needs to be a detailed plan to provide training for drivers and maintenance personnel in essential operation and maintenance of electric HGVs. Proficiency in new models of HGVs is vital to a consistent level of performance for the fleet as a whole.
The same can be said about maintenance issues, with less maintenance required for electric vehicles when compared with diesel and petrol-powered vehicles, but there is still a need to fully understand the requirements to minimise downtime and disruption
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