Key considerations when looking to switch to zero emission vehicles
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The UK government has set 2035 as its date for phasing-out sales of all new ‘non-zero emission’ heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) up to 26 tonnes and 2040 for HGVs over 26t (mostly 4-axle rigids and artics), to meet its net zero greenhouse gas emissions target for road transport by 2050.
At present there are some specific solutions emerging, each suited to different typical use cases. Including:
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Battery electric trucks are significantly more energy efficient than their diesel counterparts. They also require a fraction of the energy of hydrogen fuel cell trucks (when the whole generation to movement process is considered). This means that where battery electric is operationally viable, it will be most favourable from a cost and energy point of view. Of course, this does not necessarily discount the possibility of range extender or hybrid drivetrains further enhancing use cases.
Battery electric vehicles (powered directly by externally supplied electricity) are the most developed and widely available zero tailpipe emission technology being developed for HGVs. Manufacturers already offer products for sale in the UK and many more are planning to, including some innovative new manufacturers. Several national and multi-national HGV fleets have also pledged to adopt electric HGVs. As a result, electric HGV availability and uptake is expected to increase rapidly in the coming decade, having started with rigid trucks and potentially now including articulated trucks as well. It is worth noting that the production of batteries for electric vehicles is heavily reliant on key minerals such as lithium, cobalt and graphite which will need to be imported. As the demand for electric vehicles, including HGVs increases, there will be increased pressure on the supply chain which could impact prices in the future.
The main motivations for fleets to consider switching to electric trucks are to reduce emissions, to comply with policy and regulation, and to save money. Ongoing improvements in battery technology and investment by manufacturers mean that the viability battery electric HGVs is increasing, even for the heaviest vehicles. Independent studies are now pointing towards them achieving widespread Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) parity with diesel trucks by the early 2030s, and for many operations, by the mid-2020s. Significant efforts are also going in to reducing the costs and complexities involved in providing sufficient power to HGV depots as it is depot-based HGV fleets doing predominantly back-to-base operations of around 400 km per day or less that are likely to be the primary initial focus for battery electric HGV uptake.
An ongoing case study of battery electric truck deployment and further details on the technology and its application to fleets are available from the Battery Electric Truck Trial website, hosted by Cenex. The forthcoming Zero Emission HGV and Infrastructure Demonstration (ZEHID) programme will further help to assess and develop the business case in appropriate HGV operations.
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Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEVs) are in many respects very similar to battery electric vehicles, in that the wheels are powered by electric motors and those motors take their power from an on-board battery. The crucial difference is that the (smaller) on-board battery is wholly, or at least predominantly, recharged from an on-board fuel cell. This fuel cell generates the required electricity by converting the energy from tanks of stored hydrogen. Hydrogen has the advantage of being very light (potentially avoiding issues with payload loss currently associated with larger batteries) and these hydrogen tanks can be re-filled in much the same way as a diesel fuel tank, meaning relatively short refuelling stops. Where space allows for enough hydrogen to be stored on board, Fuel cell HGVs also provide for potentially much longer distances between refuelling stops (range).
Fuel Cell HGVs are, however, a less mature technology than battery electric, at present, with only a very small number of trucks in operation around the world. The key challenges are around the costs of the fuel cells and on-board storage tanks (which make the vehicles very expensive to buy) and the costs and lack of availability of hydrogen fuel (particularly low carbon, ‘green’ hydrogen), which also makes them expensive to run. Without green hydrogen they are not necessarily low carbon vehicles. There are also challenges to be overcome with hydrogen refuelling infrastructure if insufficient green hydrogen can be generated on a site with a lot more tankers required to move supplies than would be for the equivalent energy from diesel.
The industry is putting plans in place for future growth. The forthcoming Zero Emission HGV and Infrastructure Demonstration (ZEHID) programme will further help to assess and develop the business case for FCET in appropriate HGV operations
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Plug-in hybrid and range-extender opportunities are also being developed, that blend both approaches on the same vehicle.
Things to consider
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There are significant operational considerations that will need to be thought about. Considerations may be on a vehicle-by-vehicle basis, but a broader depot or fleet wide-view will reveal more opportunities. Operational considerations may include:
- Is payload of the zero-emission vehicle sufficient for operations?
- What is the likely peak daily energy consumption for a vehicle or task – is this within the potential single charge for a battery, or within reach of hydrogen refuelling infrastructure?
- For battery electric vehicles, temperature is an additional consideration as battery efficiency decreases in colder temperatures.
- How long is a vehicle available for battery charging between shifts? If charging is needed within shifts, where can this take place and do chargepoints have a high enough output and reliable access?
- If vehicle has very limited downtime for charging, is a fuel cell an option?
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Infrastructure is also an important factor. Focus is often on depot facilities, but as national infrastructure is expanded, more possibilities to use battery electric trucks will emerge for fleet operators who are thinking beyond just charging overnight on their own sites:
- What kW output for chargers are optimum for each vehicle or role. A simple calculation for this is energy use divided by hours of downtime. You should aim for the lowest practical option in each case.
- Is the grid connection sufficient for all of your fleet, including future expansions that would been their batteries charging?
- What is the potential to increase this grid connection: how long will it take and how much will it cost?
- What other options are available to minimise the connection size, such as on-site renewable energy sources, for example solar PV panels on a depot’s roof.
- How much will this cost – are there opportunities to share with other fleets (and even raise revenue this way?)
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Zero emission HGVs are typically a lot more expensive to purchase than their diesel equivalents. The following economic considerations are important for operators to consider:
- How much of the additional capital or lease cost will be offset by energy cost savings? Note that this is unlikely for hydrogen vehicles.
- What is the total cost of ownership comparison, when maintenance and all other vehicle costs are considered?
- Can battery electric vehicles be retained for longer to improve the cost profile (and differential)?
- Batteries for electric vehicles will degrade over time and will eventually need to be replaced. Strategies for optimising battery life are recommended.
- If the zero emission vehicle costs more over its life are there other factors that may improve the cost considerations?
- Carbon pricing (Cost per tonne emissions saved).
- Access to client contracts that specify zero emissions.
- Partnership or contractual support from clients aspiring to get to zero emissions.
- Access to zero emission zones.
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Whilst zero emission at the tailpipe is a clear step forward for air quality, there are still environmental considerations, and potential concerns with hydrogen supplies that are important to address prior to any transition.
- What is the source of electricity? The grid gets cleaner each year, but is not yet zero greenhouse gas emissions (GHG..
- Are there ways to procure or produce zero emission electricity?
- If using hydrogen – it is essential to use green hydrogen to ensure that GHG emissions do not take place – see the Renewable Fuel Assurance Scheme for low carbon hydrogen.
- Look for assurance that supply chains for batteries are responsibly managed.
The UK government are funding the Zero Emission Road Freight Demonstration programme, investing around £200m into supporting the roll out and scale-up of hundreds of 40-44t zero emission trucks and a network of supporting infrastructure. Further background information and the results from an initial set of feasibility studies, completed in 2021, are described here, here and here.
ZEHID Projects
In October 2023, The Department for Transport in partnership with Innovate UK awarded £200 million across 4 projects, which plan to roll out up to 370 zero emission HGVs and around 57 refuelling and electric charging sites across the UK. The aim of the fund is to demonstrate and provide evidence to support the development of the zero emission HGV and coach infrastructure strategy.
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The eFREIGHT 2030 project run by Voltempo has been awarded £49.2 million in funding and aims to demonstrate how battery electric HGVs can replace their diesel equivalent at scale. On top of the funding, they also aim to unlock £500 million of private investment from consortium members in electric vehicles and charging hubs by 2030.
Using British technology, the project will create 32 new charging sites which will include 1 Megawatt charging capacity along with 100 electric HGVs and tractor units.
Within their consortium, a number of vehicles will be managed by leasing company, Vertellus, meaning fleet operators and SMEs outside of the initial consortium can join the programme. Dynamon will also collect data using its ZERO software package which will enable operators to plan the most efficient use of their fleet and analyse where specific vehicles or routes can be decarbonised.
- ZERFD project update – eFreight 2030 consortium releases details | Article | Freight Carbon Zero
- eFREIGHT 2030 consortium picked for Zero Emission HGV and Infrastructure Demonstrator Programme – News – Commercial Motor
- Voltempo secures government funding to create HGV charging hub (tyseleyenergy.co.uk)
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Project Electric Freightway is run by Gridserve who, following their award of £62.7 million, aim to create an advanced charging network for electric HGVs across the UK strategic road network. By 2030, they aim to install over 200 charging hubs at motorway service stations and truck stops as well as at commercial depot charging locations using infrastructure supplied by 100% net zero energy. Amongst the charging infrastructure, Gridserve are hoping to demonstrate how fast charging may enable the sector to decarbonise without the need to change behaviours by using higher powered chargers capable of recharging vehicles in line with an HGV driver’s breaks (including trialling the use of 2 x 1-megawatt chargers).
Within their consortium of 33 members, OEMs and leasing partners are providing vehicles to a number of hauliers who will use the charging infrastructure. Data from these vehicles will be collected over a period of 5 years by Gridserve’s principal partner, Hitachi ZeroCarbon, to demonstrate how the HGV sector could work if electrified.
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The HyHAUL project run by Protium was awarded £31.8 million in funding and aims to deploy around 30 hydrogen fuel cell HGVs (HFC) along the M4 corridor in South Wales by 2026 along with 4 public fuel stations. The green hydrogen used to fuel the HGVs will be generated from projects run by Protium across south Wales.
The vehicles will be produced by multiple OEMs and the infrastructure in place along with the operational data recorded during the project will be used to help the freight industry to decarbonise in the future. The project, which aims to support the wider hydrogen economy by increasing demand, also has ambitions to deploy 300 vehicles by 2030.
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The Zero Emissions North (ZEN) project is run by BP Oil and aims to construct a network of refuelling stations containing electric charging and hydrogen refuelling technologies.
The project, which was awarded £54.6 million, intends to demonstrate up to 70 battery electric and 30 hydrogen fuel HGVs.
The consortium is made up of leading truck manufacturers, freight operators and an academic partner in Imperial College London.
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