DP World is expanding its Low Carbon Truck Programme in the UK with a new electric HGV rental initiative at Southampton port.
The second phase of the programme, known as the Electric Vehicle Introduction and Transition Accelerator (EVITA) trial, will allow participating hauliers to rent and test electric HGVs over 12-week periods in real-world operating conditions.
The initiative will begin in July and run until 2029. DP World said the costs for hauliers will be aligned with diesel vehicles during the trial period.
The EVITA trial builds on a pilot launched in January in partnership with the University of Cambridge’s Centre for Sustainable Road Freight and Project JOLT.
More than 1,500 trucks are now registered to DP World’s Low Carbon Truck Programme, which supports over 60 UK hauliers. The company said the latest trial will help participants assess how electric HGVs perform across their own routes and supply chains compared with diesel trucks.
Several hauliers have already received electric HGVs under the latest phase, including Williams Shipping and ATL Haulage. The vehicles are fitted with tracking systems, allowing participating customers to assess performance, efficiency and environmental impact.
Electric HGVs from Mercedes-Benz, Volvo and MAN will initially be available through the programme, with the number of vehicles increasing to four from October. The initiative is being delivered in partnership with Hireco and is expected to provide around 100 trial opportunities over three years.
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John Trenchard, Vice President, Sustainable Supply Chains, Europe, at DP World, said: “More than 80 per cent of UK freight is transported by road, so decarbonisation initiatives that empower hauliers to take action on their own supply chains are key for the UK energy transition.
With the EVITA trial, DP World is demonstrating its commitment to enabling the industry to adopt more sustainable methods of moving goods through a practical and commercially attractive pathway.
“DP World see its future growth in the net zero economy, so over the next three years, we’re aiming to provide around 100 trial opportunities for hauliers on the programme, giving them early access to the real-world experiences of managing their operations with electric trucks.”
Drew Roberts, Managing Director, ATL Haulage, said: “A month in with the MAN electric HGV and we’re doing exactly what EVITA was designed for – testing, learning and adapting. Integrating the new vehicle into our daily container moves from DP World Southampton has highlighted the operational differences between EV and ICE management in ways you can only understand by doing it.
“Driver feedback has been positive so far, and the questions the trial is raising are the right ones. We came into this to de-risk the unknown and that’s exactly what’s happening.”
The first phase of EVITA provided selected hauliers with four electric HGVs at cost parity with diesel trucks. Participants also had access to DP World’s twin 360kWh electric HGV charging stations at its driver welfare facility in Southampton.
For more information:
DP World – https://www.dpworld.com/en
