Freight Innovation Fund
DfT-funded accelerator, delivered by Connected Places Catapult, pairing freight SMEs with operators for live trials of new technology.
Delivered by
Most freight innovation gets judged on a pitch deck. The Freight Innovation Fund judges it on real trucks.
The programme is funded by the Department for Transport and delivered by Connected Places Catapult. It pairs SMEs with freight operators to trial new technology in live operations, with at least eight weeks of real running in every trial.
It runs in cohorts. Each one brings a new group of innovators and operators, and each trial sets out to answer the same question: does this work on a real fleet, day to day?
Projects
MHTech
Smart Depot Share
Knowing a day ahead how much depot charging is genuinely spare, and offering it to other fleets.
October 2026 to March 2027
Togl
SHIFT
Smart HGV Integration for Flexibility Trial: earning from depot charging without putting a departure at risk.
October 2026 to March 2027
Paua
Paua Reserve
One place for fleets to book charging away from base, across several charging networks.
October 2026 to March 2027
Aeroflow
Shape-Shifting Aerodynamic Trailer
A trailer that changes shape to cut drag when it isn't full.
October 2026 to March 2027
Moonbility
Roadwork Disruption Management for EV Freight
Seeing which electric trucks a roadwork or traffic jam will leave short, before they get back to the depot.
October 2026 to March 2027