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Fleete has officially opened one of the UK’s largest dedicated commercial vehicle electric charging hubs at the Port of Tilbury.
The 5MW facility features 16 ultra-rapid chargers enabling up to 16 electric HGVs to charge simultaneously.
The site is the first of a network of shared commercial vehicle charging hubs, designed to accelerate fleet electrification across the UK by providing high-powered charging at strategic logistics locations.
Fleete’s new hub, delivered in partnership with the Port of Tilbury and Thames Freeport, is supported by £1 million 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 (DfT) in partnership with Innovate UK.
Strategically located at one of the UK’s busiest multimodal freight hubs, Fleete’s facility will support zero-emission HGVs operating in and through the Port of Tilbury and along the A13 corridor into London.
The official opening was marked by a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by representatives from Fleete, project partners and fleet customers, with the hub formally opened by Sue Shinnick, Mayor of Thurrock.
She said: “The opening of Fleete’s electric HGV charging hub here at the Port of Tilbury, the largest dedicated hub of its kind in the UK, highlights what can be achieved through strong partnership between industry, government and Thames Freeport.
“This investment supports cleaner transport, improves air quality for our communities, and reinforces Thurrock’s role in adopting practical, forward looking low carbon solutions.”
Fleete’s shared-user model provides fleet operators with access to charging without the need for dedicated facilities, addressing common barriers to electrification including grid capacity, land constraints and upfront infrastructure cost.
Chris Morrison, CEO at Fleete, said: “From announcing the project last year, to now opening the site, our focus has been on proving that shared, high-capacity charging infrastructure can remove one of the biggest barriers to fleet electrification.
“The Port of Tilbury 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.”
Aviation, maritime and decarbonisation minister, Keir Mather, added: ”This is a significant milestone in our drive to decarbonise road freight, helped by £1m Government investment at the Port of Tilbury site to install EV chargers for HGVs.
“Road freight is the backbone of our economy, keeping goods moving and businesses growing. By supporting the sector to go electric, we're cutting emissions and backing the industry to thrive long into the future.”
The new hub forms part of a wider effort to support cleaner freight movement and future-proof one of the UK’s most important logistics gateways.
David Webster, regional director and Tilbury and Thames Freeport board member, said: “The opening of Fleete’s EV charging hub is a significant step forward for the Port of Tilbury as we work to support the decarbonisation of freight and logistics at one of the UK’s busiest ports.
“With thousands of HGV movements through the port every day, access to high-capacity, reliable charging infrastructure is critical.
“This shared facility will play an important role in helping our customers reduce emissions while maintaining efficient operations.”
Logistics UK chief executive, Ben Fletcher, added: “Public charging infrastructure on this scale, and in such a key strategic location, is precisely what is needed to encourage more operators to use electric vehicles.
“The charging hub is vast, and with 16 ultra rapid chargers it will help operators make the switch to electric fleets - especially smaller operators who can struggle to install chargers at their depots.”