Establishing a zero-emission freight corridor in the UK

Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh has announced its intention to build a first-of-its-kind zero-emission freight corridor in collaboration with its partners.

As part of the project, the UK will serve as a testbed for sustainable logistics, trialling scenarios, technologies and bringing in industry insights to create the corridor.

The University has said building blocks to carry this out are already in place; including the TransiT Hub Digital Twin, a modelling platform that simulates freight flows. TransiT is one of the UK’s largest research hubs and believes in the value of digital twin technology for decarbonising transport. Other blocks are the EPSRC & UKRI freight projects and City-Logistics Data Sets, which are real-world insights that are reshaping how goods are moving through urban environments.

Hauliers, OEMs, policymakers, tech innovators and investors are all being invited to partake in the project and offer their contributions. Hauliers and third-party logistics, for instance, can trial zero-emission fleets and operations, while OEMs and tech innovators can be responsible for deploying the vehicles, batteries and digital platforms required. Investors can support scalable opportunities available.

Live corridor pilots will be staged to test and scale zero-emission fleets, charging and refuelling hubs, as well as publish actionable strategies for national logistics.

The logistics contributes overt a third of UK transport emissions, making it an invaluable opportunity to decarbonise. Early on in the journey to net zero in freight, Heriot-Watt University’s project will utilise a combination of industry, technology and policy to create cleaner, more efficient freight systems at scale.