The eFREIGHT 2030 consortium has reached a major milestone with the official opening of the UK’s first megawatt-scale electric heavy goods vehicle (eHGV) charging site, using charging system provider Voltempo’s HyperCharger technology, at East Midlands Gateway to support Kuehne+Nagel’s UK road operations.
Formally opened on 15 January with Chris McDonald, Minister for Industry in the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) and the Department for Business and Trade (DBT), in attendance, the Kuehne+Nagel hub is the first MCS-ready (Megawatt Charging System) charger to be deployed in the UK.
Designed and implemented by Voltempo, lead partner of the eFREIGHT 2030 consortium and the programme’s charging infrastructure provider, the new charging hub at East Midlands Gateway is powered by the company’s HyperCharger system, capable of delivering charge rates up to one megawatt – enough to charge future eHGVs in less than 30 minutes.
It is the first of Voltempo’s megawatt-scale HyperChargers to be deployed under the planned national rollout of 35 depot charging hubs through eFREIGHT 2030, part of UK government’s £200 million Zero Emission HGV and Infrastructure Demonstrator (ZEHID) Programme, funded by the Department for Transport and delivered in partnership with Innovate UK.
“This first deployment of Voltempo’s HyperCharger at Kuehne+Nagel’s depot is a significant milestone for zero emission freight,” comments Simon Smith, CEO of Voltempo. “As lead partner and charging infrastructure provider for eFREIGHT 2030, our focus has been on delivering infrastructure that works for real-world freight operations today, while being ready for the next generation of high-power electric and autonomous HGVs tomorrow.”
The Kuehne+Nagel site features six DC charging bays powered by Voltempo’s HyperCharger infrastructure. At the heart of the system is a single, megawatt-scale HyperCharger pod, which intelligently distributes power across a network of chargepoints (with one positioned at each bay), enabling flexible, high-power charging to support future freight operations.
Strategic location for UK freight
The East Midlands Gateway charging infrastructure will support Kuehne+Nagel’s continued investment in decarbonising its fleet, initially serving an electric fleet of 12 eHGVs which are part of the ZEHID project, including both DAF XF Electric and Renault Trucks E-Tech Ts. Each truck is providing real-world performance and efficiency data to support the eFREIGHT 2030 programme, including analysis of energy use, range, charging cycles, and total cost of operation.
Kuehne+Nagel’s 200,000 ft² East Midlands Gateway facility serves as the company’s UK key operations hub for road logistics activities, featuring 67 loading docks and handling a wide range of goods, including pharmaceuticals, High-Tech, and groupage services. Its prime location adjacent to the M1 and East Midlands Airport makes it one of the UK’s most connected logistics hubs and an ideal base for demonstrating the viability of electric HGV operations.
British-designed infrastructure purpose-built for lorries
The Voltempo HyperCharger is a British-designed and manufactured charging system, developed specifically for heavy-duty freight applications. The technology has recently achieved Made in Britain membership eligibility, recognising that the product is substantially designed, engineered, and manufactured in the UK, with all labour involved in producing the finished system based in Tyseley, East Birmingham.
Each HyperCharger can deliver up to one megawatt of dynamically distributed power, supplying up to six vehicles simultaneously. The system can be scaled across multiple chargepoints to support larger fleets and evolving depot requirements.
Designed with sustainability and simplicity in mind, Voltempo says its HyperCharger “functions efficiently and flexibly due to the configuration and control of the power modules allowing multiple vehicles to be charged to suit their range requirements and time of despatch, helping operators minimise vehicle charging time as well as lowering the fleet’s carbon emissions.” The chargers are OCPP 2.0+ compliant and Plug and Charge capable.
The system requires no payment terminal and authenticates the trucks from the operator’s fleet list, managing all the charging transactions in the background.
Alistair Barnes, Senior Programme Manager at Innovate UK, notes, “We are delighted to support the launch of this pioneering charging hub at Kuehne+Nagel’s East Midlands Gateway depot. Voltempo’s state-of-the-art HyperCharger is enabling eFREIGHT 2030 to meet the sustainable haulage demands of today and tomorrow. The ZEHID programme, funded by the UK Government and delivered in partnership with Innovate UK, is providing strategic insights into the future of road transport. Powerful partnerships like this are accelerating the transition to zero-emission freight and driving the UK’s clean growth ambitions forward.”