New hubs planned for topping up alternative-fuel vans and trucks

Aegis Energy, which has received £100 million funding from Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners, says it will deliver an essential missing piece that will enable the next wave of low and zero-emission trucks and vans to hit UK roads and help drive forward the clean energy transition.

An initial five-station network will be completed by the end of 2027, with stations planned in Sheffield, Immingham, Warrington, Corby and Towcester. Aegis Energy says it has secured sizeable grid connections in more than five locations and will begin construction on the first of these stations in 2025, scheduled to open in early 2026.

It plans to create a broader network of up to 30 hubs by the end of the decade, becoming a leader in low carbon infrastructure and e-mobility. Each hub will have the capacity to charge/refuel more than 40 HGVs and 25-plus vans simultaneously.

They will serve other low carbon fuels in addition to electricity, including hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), hydrogen and bio-CNG. The hubs will also provide safe and secure truck parking and driver facilities that will include toilets and showers.

Christopher Thorneycroft-Smith, co-founder of Aegis Energy, said: “There is growing pressure from regulators and consumers for commercial vehicles to decarbonise, making it a necessity for winning new business and maintaining customer loyalty. Yet the lack of appropriate infrastructure is typically number one or number two on the list of barriers for fleet operators.

“Building depot infrastructure can be complex and grid connections are not easy or cheap to secure. Not only this, but long-haul operations require a top-up charge and for van drivers, when at-home charging isn’t a practical solution, they lose time waiting to charge elsewhere.”

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