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DP World is expanding its UK Low Carbon Truck Programme with a new electric HGV rental initiative at Southampton, giving hauliers the opportunity to test battery-electric trucks in real-world operations as part of efforts to accelerate supply chain decarbonisation.
DP World has launched the next phase of its UK Low Carbon Truck Programme (LCTP), expanding access to electric heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) through a dedicated rental initiative at its Southampton port operations.
The second phase of the programme, known as the Electric Vehicle Introduction and Transition Accelerator (EVITA) trial, builds on a pilot launched in January in partnership with the University of Cambridge Centre for Sustainable Road Freight and Project JOLT. Beginning in July and running until 2029, the initiative enables hauliers to operate electric HGVs for 12-week trial periods with costs aligned to diesel vehicles.
Supporting Low-Carbon Freight Operations
More than 1,500 trucks are now registered to the Low Carbon Truck Programme, supporting more than 60 UK hauliers.
The EVITA trial is designed to help participants evaluate how battery-electric HGVs perform across their own transport operations and supply chains compared with conventional diesel vehicles.
Several operators have already taken delivery of electric trucks through the programme, including Williams Shipping and ATL Haulage. The vehicles are equipped with tracking systems that allow users to monitor operational performance, efficiency and environmental impact throughout the trial period.
Electric Vehicle Trial Expands
The programme will initially provide electric HGVs from Mercedes-Benz, Volvo and MAN, with the fleet increasing to four vehicles from October.
Delivered in partnership with Hireco, the initiative is expected to provide up to 100 trial opportunities for hauliers over the next three years.
It aims to give fleet operators practical experience of integrating electric HGVs into day-to-day logistics operations before making longer-term investment decisions.
Enabling Supply Chain Decarbonisation
John Trenchard, Vice President, Sustainable Supply Chains – Europe at DP World, said: “More than 80% of UK freight is transported by road, so decarbonisation initiatives that empower hauliers to take action on their own supply chains are key for the UK energy transition. With the EVITA trial, DP World is demonstrating its commitment to enabling the industry to adopt more sustainable methods of moving goods through a practical and commercially attractive pathway.
“DP World see its future growth in the net zero economy, so over the next three years, we’re aiming to provide around 100 trial opportunities for hauliers on the programme, giving them early access to the real-world experiences of managing their operations with electric trucks.”
John Trenchard, Vice President, Sustainable Supply Chains – Europe at DP World
Early Operational Experience
Participating hauliers are already using the vehicles in live logistics operations to assess the practical implications of transitioning to electric freight transport.
Drew Roberts, Managing Director of ATL Haulage, said: “A month in with the MAN electric HGV and we’re doing exactly what EVITA was designed for – testing, learning and adapting. Integrating the new vehicle into our daily container moves from DP World Southampton has highlighted the operational differences between EV and ICE management in ways you can only understand by doing it.
Driver feedback has been positive so far and the questions the trial is raising are the right ones. We came into this to de-risk the unknown and that’s exactly what’s happening.”
Charging Infrastructure Supports Fleet Transition
The latest initiative builds on the first phase of the EVITA trial launched in January, when selected hauliers were provided with four electric HGVs at cost parity with diesel vehicles.
Participants also gained access to DP World’s twin 360 kWh electric HGV charging stations at the company’s driver welfare facility in Southampton, enabling two vehicles to be charged simultaneously. Drivers using the charging facility also receive a complimentary coffee with each vehicle recharge.
This article was produced by the editorial team at Supply Chain Outlook and published as part of the Outlook Publishing global network of B2B industry magazines.
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