The UK’s largest dedicated commercial vehicle electric charging hub has officially opened at the Port of Tilbury.
Open to all electric commercial vehicles, the 5MW facility is equipped with ultra-rapid chargers that enable up to 16 electric HGVs to charge simultaneously.
It’s the first of a network of shared hubs, designed to accelerate fleet electrification across the UK by providing high-powered charging at strategic locations. Fleete is already working on its second hub after securing planning consent for a site at Hams Hall Distribution Park near Birmingham that will feature 26 charging bays.
Tilbury is strategically located at one of the UK’s busiest multimodal freight hubs, serving the growing number of zero-emission commercial vehicles operating in and through the port and along the A13 corridor into London. It also supports national infrastructure programmes including the Lower Thames Crossing.
Delivered in partnership with the Port of Tilbury and Thames Freeport, the hub is supported by £1m from the UK government’s Thames Freeport Seed Capital Programme, with further funding provided by the Zero Emission HGV and Infrastructure Demonstrator (ZEHID) Programme, funded by the Department for Transport in partnership with Innovate UK.
The hub will primarily focus on eHGVs but will also accept smaller electric trucks and vans. All customers need to sign up at fleete.com before using the site.
Chris Morrison, CEO at Fleete, said: “The hub shows what’s possible when industry and government work together to deliver infrastructure at scale. By supporting customers and collaborating with partners across the supply chain, we’re helping accelerate the transition to zero-emission commercial transport where it’s needed most.”
