Electric truck trial hopes to help operators make the switch

DP World’s Electric Vehicle Transition and Introduction Accelerator (EVITA) trial has got underway.

It is an expansion of its Low Carbon Truck Programme (LCTP) which launched in September 2025 and offers HGV operators access to hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) at no extra cost, eliminating the financial hurdle that many cite is a barrier to switching to alternative fuels.

As part of the programme, the company also asks its participants to take part in an eight-hour carbon literacy training workshop, tailored for road freight and logistics, to improve understanding of carbon within logistics operations.

The EVITA trial, launched in partnership with Cambridge University’s Centre for Sustainable Road Freight and its Project JOLT programme, will test four electric HGVs (eHGVs) between January and June this year, as it looks to establish findings that can help container truck operators make the switch towards eHGVs. The eHGVs will be tested by LCTP members.

More than 4,000 trucks arrive daily at DP World’s two ports, Southampton and London Gateway, which means LCTP and EVITA have the potential to significantly cut carbon emissions and meet long-term electrification goals.

The programmes could provide a model for how large logistics players might support smaller operators in navigating the costly transition to sustainable transport.

Logistics UK’s Senior Policy Manager Stephanie Haszczyn said: “It’s great to see the work of DP World in supporting LCTP members trial eHGVs. Their choice to take a data-led approach to these trials will also provide much-needed insight.

“The majority of logistics companies are SMEs operating on razor-thin margins, so the more certainty and accessibility they can be provided with, the better.

“Our members have told us that electrification is challenging for a whole host of reasons. More needs to be done to enable operators to adopt zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) and to support operators understand how ZEVs can fit into their operations. Where this can be achieved through trials like this, our whole industry benefits.”