ZENFreight project advances following reset

Following a project reset, the Zero Emission National (ZEN) Freight consortium has plans to rapidly advance.

The new plan maintains the core vision of conducting parallel demonstrations with both battery-electric (BEV) and hydrogen fuel cell (H2) trucks to improve the rate of decarbonising heavy goods vehicles (HGVs).

Dynamon are to head ZENFreight, with the consortium including fleet operators such as DFDS, Eddie Stobart, Great Bear Distribution, and Gregory Distribution, among others.

The introduction of 78 new vehicles into operator fleets incited the redesign of the ZENFreight project. Each fleet will take both BEV and at least two H2 trucks, benchmarked against diesel equivalents.

The original outline of the £63 million consortium, including £43 million in government funding, remains the same. It is expected that all vehicles will be on the road by March 2026 and will operate for five years as part of the demonstration phase, and they intend to collect data and insights to support the business case for the scalable deployment of zero emission HGVs.

The consortium will develop a nationwide network of depot-based electric charging and hydrogen refuelling stations, across 25 depots among its seven fleets. Members will share the complex depot charging infrastructure required for both alternative fuel types during the initial demonstration phase. This is a vital aspect of ZENFreight's strategy that will allow operators to increase the adoption and utilisation of BEV and H2 HGVs across their fleets, improve efficiency, and support the movement to sustainable transport solutions. Consequently, this will allow ZENFreight to be in a suitable position to address the challenges and opportunities that appear during demonstration to identify the best strategies for the successful scale-up of a truck refuelling infrastructure ecosystem.

A key part of the consortium's objectives is stress-testing the routes taken by the zero-emission vehicles, achieved using Dynamon's advanced data and planning software, ZERO. Operators can identify opportunities for decarbonising specific vehicles and routes, providing crucial insights, thanks to analysing fleet data and stimulating vehicle performance. Initial demonstrations will focus on simpler routes to then apply these findings to more complex scenarios, including top-up charing using shared fleet depot infrastructure.

Dr Angus Webb, Dynamon Founder and CEO, said: "ZENFreight is once again moving ahead at pace; we have a strong vision, a clear purpose and a defined pathway forward to achieve our overarching goals. Our consortium members have fully embraced this reset, demonstrating unwavering commitment to driving meaningful change. Their collective support and collaborative approach, alongside the backing of our fellow ZEHID consortia, underscores the industry's shared dedicated to reshaping the future, addressing the key challenges we aim to overcome through the demonstrations and accelerating progress towards our common goals.

"Significant progress has already been made with a revised plan that builds on the work already completed, which has enabled us to mobilise quickly and move forward confidently."

Dr Isabella Panovic, Programme Manager for Zero Emission Freight at Innovate UK, said: "We are proud to be working with the Department for Transport to deliver this important programme. Through clever use of simulation to optimise deployments, this project will help to create the evidence base to decarbonise the UK's heaviest road freight vehicles. This will help the sector grow in confidence and invest long term in zero emission HGVs."