HGV drivers are being called to test a new dashboard investigating Scotland’s hypothetical future EV charging capacity, with the aim of ultimately being able to hold electric HGV fleets.
Developed for Transport Scotland, the technology is using sophisticated computer modelling techniques and data from around 80,000 real truck journeys in Scotland, to allow users to test different routing and charging scenarios to see where electric HGV chargers would be needed, how much electricity they would draw and whether the local electricity grid can handle it.
Truck fleet owners and operators, hauliers, delivery companies and logistics firms are now being invited to test the tool against their own routes and submit feedback.
Professor Phil Greening, a logistics expert at Heriot-Watt University and Deputy Director of The Centre for Sustainable Road Freight (who developed the technology) said: “One of the main barriers to decarbonising road freight is the inherent risk and uncertainty involved in such a large-scale transformation.
“It’s difficult for governments or businesses to invest in zero emission vehicles or technologies without a clear understanding of what this involves and what impact it could have. This is where computer modelling tools like ScotVolt can use real-world data to provide some answers – and derisk decision-making around freight decarbonisation.”
By analysing ScotVolt’s data and simulations, the researchers have already identified five recurring themes that will impact how Scotland switches to zero emission road freight, including doubling eHGV battery sizes, taking winter grid capacity into account and avoiding peak simultaneous use.
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