SCALE to offer fleet electrification support at RTX Scotland

SCALE – Scotland Charging to Accelerate Logistics Electrification – is inviting Scottish hauliers to visit its stand (E40) at RTX Scotland next week, to learn more about how to access the funding, expertise and shared charging infrastructure to accelerate the move to electric trucks.

The team behind the eFreight 2030 Zero Emission HGV and Infrastructure Demonstrator (ZEHID) programme is seeking to help Scotland’s fleets adopt more electric vehicles, with a particular focus on smaller operators that are at the heart of the Scottish logistics industry.  

SCALE aims to help fleets overcome some of the financial and practical challenges of electrification, from identifying suitable vehicles and routes to accessing grant funding and charging infrastructure.

Financial support is available to help accelerate the electrification of Scotland’s road freight industry, including the UK Government’s Zero Emission Truck Grant, which helps reduce the cost of purchasing eligible electric HGVs, and the Depot Charging Scheme, which supports investment in charging infrastructure at fleet depots.

SCALE is powered by Voltempo, the company which developed the UK’s first megawatt-capable HyperCharger and leads the eFreight 2030 ZEHID programme. This will deploy 88 electric HGVs and over 200 charging bays across 43 sites, including HyperChargers at East Kilbride and Bellshill.  

The same team is bringing together a group of leading fleets and service providers as Project SCALE. They have been working for the past year to prepare proposals addressing Scotland’s particular decarbonisation needs, including considering how to develop a national network of chargers accessible to electric HGV operators, with a particular focus on supporting Scotland’s smaller fleets.

The SCALE team has already helped a number of Scottish fleets access Transport Scotland’s SME Fleet Analysis Support, offered under its HGV Market Readiness Fund. The scheme helps smaller operators assess which vehicles and routes are suitable for electrification, understand their charging requirements and plan for the transition to zero-emission HGVs.

Fraser Maxwell, SCALE’s Dunkeld-based programme delivery manager, said: “For Scotland’s smaller fleets it’s been really helpful to be able to independently assess which operations and routes can be electrified today. With the support available, several of the SCALE fleets are now confident that they can bring electric vehicles into service.”

SCALE programme director Andrew Scott, who will be speaking in the Knowledge Zone at RTX Scotland, comments: “There are some great opportunities for Scottish fleets to get support to introduce electric vehicles and chargers, with current funding already available through the Zero Emission Truck Grant and Depot Charging Scheme.

“We hope that SCALE can help smaller fleets in particular take advantage of these grants, as well as providing access to a shared network of charging facilities, so operators don’t necessarily need to invest in their own infrastructure. We’d encourage any Scottish haulier interested in making the move to electric to come and talk to us.  We’ll be delighted to explain more in person at the show, or Fraser will be happy to visit them at a later date.”

RTX Scotland takes place at SEC Glasgow on 18–19 November.