£190m motorway charging scheme may not protect grid capacity for electric HGVs

The UK Government’s proposed £190 million motorway charging scheme could increase electricity capacity partly to meet future electric-HGV demand without ensuring that capacity remains available for trucks.

The Department for Transport's Strategic Charging Infrastructure scheme is intended to overcome the high cost of securing larger electricity connections at motorway service areas.

Its demand framework covers cars, vans, electric HGVs, coaches and motorcycles out to 2050. Under the proposed scheme, the Government intends to procure at least enough network capacity at supported sites to meet projected charging demand in 2035 where that can be delivered by 2030.

However, the proposed allocation rules do not distinguish between vehicle types. Once an upgrade is complete, capacity would initially be reserved for open-access EV charging and allocated through the standard connection process on a first-come, first-served basis.

That creates a potential problem for HGV charging. Capacity secured partly because the Government expects future truck demand could be taken by other EV charging projects before HGV infrastructure is ready to use it.

That’s because the published proposals don’t actually ring-fence a proportion specifically for electric HGVs. While that doesn’t mean truck charging won’t be built, it could mean that despite the ambitions of the Government that the upgrades would meet the future demands for HGV charging, what’s actually built on the ground could still fail to meet that demand. 

And the upgrades are significant. There are 20 motorway service areas on the Government’s current illustrative list of sites meeting its proposed selection criteria, although DfT says the list could change. Four – Warwick, Keele, Clacket Lane and Taunton Deane – currently have a gap of more than 10 MVA between secured capacity and projected 2035 demand.

National Highways has indicated that individual sites could require between 5 MVA and 50 MVA of new connection capacity, potentially involving significant new network and substation infrastructure.

Those upgrades should help cover the shortfall needed for HGV charging, as long as the capacity isn’t swallowed up by other EV charging operators. After all, HGV charging can require a substantial amount of power. DfT-backed demonstrator projects include charging technology with around 1 MW DC peak capability, while Fleete's commercial HGV charging hub at the Port of Tilbury operates from a 5 MW connection.