UK ZEHID programme reports 172 electric HGVs have covered 3.6 million kilometres, but grid connection remains key barrier
By Eve
The UK Government's Zero Emission HGV and Infrastructure Demonstrator (ZEHID) programme, backed by over £200 million and run with Innovate UK, has published its annual report showing 172 funded battery electric trucks across 35 operators have travelled 3.6 million kilometres and carried 550,000 tonnes of cargo, cutting 4,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions. Three projects within ZEHID (Electric Freightway, eFreight 2030 and ZENFreight) are now in live commercial operation with trucks from six manufacturers, though a fourth hydrogen focused project, HyHAUL, was cancelled last year. The report identifies charging infrastructure as the main bottleneck, with grid connection times and costs varying significantly, while the UK still lags behind countries such as Germany in eHGV market share.
Why it matters
For charge point operators and infrastructure developers, the report confirms that grid connection challenges remain the primary constraint on scaling depot charging for heavy goods vehicles, a segment requiring high power installations. With over £200 million in government backing and 35 operators now running electric HGVs commercially, the programme signals growing demand for megawatt scale charging solutions despite current grid barriers.
Source
- Original title
- “How can UK eHGV uptake keep rising? Annual ZEHID report points to grid and cost barriers”
- Published
- 9 October 2026
- Also covered by
- theenergyst.com
In this story
- Topic
- Policy & Market
- Place
- United Kingdom
- Tag
- ZEHID
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