New fuel stations to cater for electric and hydrogen vans and trucks

Funding worth £100 million has been secured to build multi-energy refuelling hubs for electric, hydrogen and other alternative fuelled vans and trucks.

Aegis Energy, which has received the cash from Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners, says it will deliver an essential missing piece that will enable the next wave of low and zero-emission trucks and vans to hit UK roads and help drive forward the clean energy transition.

An initial five-station network will be completed by the end of 2027, with stations planned in Sheffield, Immingham, Warrington, Corby and Towcester. 

Aegis Energy says it has secured sizeable grid connections in more than five locations and will begin construction on the first of these stations in 2025, scheduled to open in early 2026. 

It plans to create a broader network of up to 30 hubs by the end of the decade, becoming a leader in low carbon infrastructure and e-mobility.

Each hub will have the capacity to charge/refuel more than 40 HGVs and 25-plus vans simultaneously. 

They will serve other low carbon fuels, in addition to electricity, including hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), hydrogen and bio-CNG. 

The hubs will also provide safe and secure truck parking and driver facilities that will include toilets and showers.

Christopher Thorneycroft-Smith, co-founder of Aegis Energy, said: “There is growing pressure from regulators and consumers for commercial vehicles to decarbonise, making it a necessity for winning new business and maintaining customer loyalty. 

“Yet the lack of appropriate infrastructure is typically number one or number two on the list of barriers for fleet operators. 

“Building depot infrastructure can be complex and grid connections are not easy, or cheap, to secure. 

“Not only this, but long-haul operations require a top-up charge, and for van drivers, when at-home charging isn’t a practical solution, they lose time waiting to charge elsewhere. 

“Our hubs will typically have capacity to charge/fuel 40-plus HGVs and 25-plus vans simultaneously.”

He added: “The transition will take time and play out differently for each fleet, but by providing public hubs with multiple clean energy charging and refuelling options, we’re supporting operators to choose how they want to make the transition.

“Quinbrook’s funding will help us ensure that critical energy infrastructure is reliably available where our customers need it, and support millions of vehicles to make a once-in-a-multi-generational change.”

The investment from Quinbrook represents its first foray into sustainable transport, complementing its broad portfolio of net zero transition investments across the UK, US and Australia in areas such as solar and storage, grid support, and power solutions for energy intensive industries.

Keith Gains, managing director and UK regional lead for Quinbrook, said: “Quinbrook is uniquely placed to capitalise on emerging investment opportunities that drive impactful emissions reduction in hard-to-abate sectors like transport, and supporting innovators like Aegis that are creating new infrastructure investment models. 

“Targets under the UK’s Zero Emission Vehicle mandate highlight the existing gaps in the infrastructure needed to provide accessible clean energy to transport fleets. 

“This presents significant opportunities for Aegis Energy to build market-leading refuelling hubs and we look forward to supporting its growth and expansion throughout the country.”

Aegis Energy is actively looking to partner with more fleet operators across the UK to help them navigate the transition.

Read more from Fleet News on what part will hydrogen play in zero-emission road transport.