SCALE consortium launches to decarbonise HGVs in Scotland

Scotland Charging to Accelerate Logistics Electrification or ‘SCALE’ was recently launched to address one of the biggest challenges facing Scotland’s transport sector: cutting the 12.8% of CO2 emissions generated by HGV fleets.

Supported by Transport Scotland through its £2 million HGV Market Readiness Fund and spearheaded by Voltempo, SCALE is bringing together a group of Scottish hauliers and logistics partners to accelerate the transition to electric heavy goods vehicles (eHGVs).

It builds on Voltempo’s experience as project lead in the UK-wide eFreight 2030 consortium, which belongs to the UK government’s £200 million funded Zero Emission HGV and Infrastructure Demonstrator Programme (ZEHID).

The initiative aims to deploy the latest eHGVs from a range of vehicle manufacturers, from 7.5 tonnes to 44 tonnes, to test and prove their capabilities in real-world applications across Scotland such as food distribution, next-day parcel deliveries to remote communities, and critical medical supplies.

The creation of a community-owned charging network will support both large and small fleets. Dedicated financial support packages will be available, particularly for smaller vehicle operators.

Michael Boxwell, Founder of Voltempo said: “Scotland has the vision, and now the opportunity, to accelerate the transition to zero-emission freight and we are delighted to be leading SCALE, a consortium specifically designed to give hauliers the confidence, the infrastructure, and the support they need to make the switch to electric.”

Stephanie Haszczyn, Senior Policy Manager at Logistics UK said: “It’s great to see more consortia launching to tackle logistics decarbonisation. Our new report Powering Change showed that 80% of industry stakeholders weren’t confident that the phase out dates for diesel vans HGVs will be met.

“A lack of confidence across the sector reveals a few contributing factors, including the availability of public charging, the capacity to install these chargers at operating sites, and insufficient funding.

“These particular challenges are exactly what needs to be focused on, to successfully decarbonise the freight and transport sector.

“The launch of the SCALE consortium is a great example of industry coming together to collaborate and work on these shared challenges.”