London, UK: Maritime Transport has 18 battery-electric, 42-tonne tractor units plus and hydrogen fuel cell trucks. The zero-emission trucks, supplied by Scania, Renault Trucks, and Daf, will be integrated in Maritime’s fleet as part of the eFreight 2030 consortium, led by Voltempo.
The consortium is one of four selected to join Zehid and is part-funded by the Department for Transport in partnership with Innovate UK to support the freight sector on its path to Net Zero.
By 2026, there will be 11 fleets within the Voltempo consortium using electric HGVs and a nationwide HGV charging network using British-built chargers. Each charge hub will provide at least six charge bays and 1MW of power.
Maritime’s latest fleet expansion is not only the largest of its kind but also the most substantial placed by any member of a Zehid consortium to date. The trucks will operate from Maritime’s eight rail freight terminals and to and from major UK ports, the company said.
“The introduction of these trucks is a core component of Maritime’s environmental agenda to accelerate modal shift, effectively moving more containerised and domestic product by rail with battery-electric and hydrogen fuel cell trucks at the helm of first and final mile deliveries, reducing emissions and removing more vehicles from the UK’s congested road network,” Maritime said.
The trucks are planned to arrive from late 2024 and into early 2025. Electric charging stations will also be installed at the company’s 41 transport depots, rail terminals, and dedicated container storage sites.
Tom Williams, deputy chief executive, Maritime Transport, said: ‘This investment places us at the forefront of our industry’s transition to sustainable operations and we are excited to initiate this phase of our environmental strategy. Our active participation in Zehid and pioneering initiatives like e-Freight 2030 over the next five years is set to yield vital insights for the government’s long-term infrastructure decisions to make road freight more sustainable and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Acknowledging the variations in range and payload, we believe these vehicles will substantially contribute to our efforts in providing sustainable and efficient services to our customers, complementing our growing network of rail freight services and terminals.’
