Programmes / ZEHID

ZEHID: every report in one place

The Zero Emission HGV and Infrastructure Demonstrator is the government-funded trial of 40t+ zero emission trucks. Here's what its three consortia have published, how they compare, and what's still to come.

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The headline

More than 240 zero emission HGVs and 40 charging sites have been deployed across ZEHID's three active projects, almost all of them battery electric. Connecting chargers has been the main bottleneck, and early data has the electric trucks covering about half the weekly distance of a diesel sample, so the cost case still depends on grants and high utilisation. (Source: ZEHID Annual report 2026, pp. 3, 4, 28)

Vehicles deployed

More than 240

Expected to reach about 300 by end of 2026. (Source: ZEHID Annual report 2026, p. 3)

Charging sites deployed

More than 40

Expected to reach about 70 by end of 2026. (Source: ZEHID Annual report 2026, p. 3)

Trucks sharing telematics

172

At 17 June 2026. 76 more were being added and 62 weren't yet in service. (Source: ZEHID Annual report 2026, p. 13)

Distance recorded

3.60 million km

The 172 trucks sharing data only, not the whole fleet. (Source: ZEHID Annual report 2026, p. 13)

Freight carried

550,000 tonnes

Monitored trucks only. (Source: ZEHID Annual report 2026, p. 13)

GHG reduction vs diesel

81%

Assumes average grid electricity and 10% losses. (Source: ZEHID Annual report 2026, p. 13)

Weekly distance, eHGV vs diesel

~1,350 km vs ~2,600 km

178 trucks. The report says the two groups may not be doing comparable work. (Source: ZEHID Annual report 2026, p. 28)

Purchase price

~2.7x diesel

Funded trucks. (Source: ZEHID Annual report 2026, p. 29)

The three consortia compared

Each consortium runs a different operating model, so the numbers below don't all measure the same thing. The notes under each figure say what it is.

Vehicles
  • Electric Freightway161(delivered)
  • eFREIGHT 203088(project total)
  • ZENFreight59(project total)
Infrastructure sites
  • Electric Freightway12(delivered)
  • eFREIGHT 203034(project total)
  • ZENFreight20(project total)

Delivered (placed or built)Project total, no deployed count published

Sources: Electric Freightway Report 4, p. 4; ZEHID Annual report 2026, pp. 19-22

Electric Freightway battery electric HGV
Photo: Electric Freightway

Electric Freightway

Lead
GRIDSERVEResearch: Hitachi ZeroCarbon
Operating model
Depot hubs plus public on-route sites and one shared-user yard
Powertrains
Battery electric
Vehicles
161Placed with operators by March 2026 (Source: Electric Freightway Report 4, p. 4)
Infrastructure sites
12Depot hubs built. 2 of 11 public on-route sites open at March 2026 (Source: Electric Freightway Report 4, p. 4)
Outputs published
5 in the index below
Final report
Published
Main barriers reported
  • Not enough on-route charging yet
  • Cost and complexity of depot charger installation
  • Long grid connection lead times
  • Weight rules that cut payload on the heaviest work

Source: Electric Freightway Report 4, pp. 4, 44-45, 113

eFREIGHT 2030 battery electric HGV
Photo: eFREIGHT 2030

eFREIGHT 2030

Lead
VoltempoResearch: Energy Systems Catapult
Operating model
Depot charging at consortium fleets' sites. Planned as public megawatt hubs, then cut back to fewer, higher-use depot sites because of cost
Powertrains
Battery electric
Vehicles
88Project total, plus 12 associate lease scheme trucks. No deployed count published (Source: ZEHID Annual report 2026, p. 19)
Infrastructure sites
34Project total: 33 depot sites and 1 public site (Source: ZEHID Annual report 2026, pp. 19-20)
Outputs published
15 in the index below
Final report
Announced, not yet published
Main barriers reported
  • Grid connection time and cost. One site was quoted five years
  • eHGV price premium and low, uncertain residual values
  • Depot space, short leases and landlord consent

Sources: ZEHID Annual report 2026, p. 27; eFREIGHT 2030 eHGV Charger Connections Case Study, p. 9; eHGV Purchasing Options and Considerations, p. 6; Business Model Options and Considerations for Depot-Based Charging, pp. 11, 66

ZENFreight zero emission HGV
Photo: ZENFreight

ZENFreight

Lead
DynamonResearch: Imperial College London
Operating model
Shared depot charging and hydrogen refuelling used by several fleets
Powertrains
Battery electric, Hydrogen fuel cell
Vehicles
59Project total: 56 battery electric and 3 hydrogen trucks. Hydrogen was cut from 16 to 3. No deployed count published (Source: ZEHID Annual report 2026, pp. 21-22)
Infrastructure sites
20Project total: 19 depot charging sites and 1 depot hydrogen refuelling site (Source: ZEHID Annual report 2026, p. 21)
Outputs published
None yet
Final report
Not yet due
Main barriers reported
  • Low hydrogen demand, an immature supply chain and high costs
  • Early operators withdrew, so new ones had to be brought on

Source: ZEHID Annual report 2026, pp. 4, 22, 30

  • Vehicle and site numbers for eFREIGHT 2030 and ZENFreight are project totals from the annual report. Neither project publishes a deployed count, and the annual report's per-project totals add up to more than the 240 it says are deployed.
  • The annual report gives Electric Freightway 11 depot sites in one place and 12 on its map. We use 12, from Electric Freightway's own final report.
  • A fourth project, HyHAUL (hydrogen, led by Protium), was ended in December 2025 and isn't covered here.

Sources: ZEHID Annual report 2026, pp. 3, 17-19, 21; Electric Freightway Report 4, p. 4

Disclosure: TwentyForty's founder works for Welch Group, whose Welch's Transport is an eFREIGHT 2030 operator.

What the findings say

Where they agree

  • Grid connection is the main constraintAll three sources put getting chargers connected first. The problems are reinforcement, DNO process, landlords and planning.
  • The cost case depends on grants and utilisationWithout subsidy, total cost of ownership is typically higher than diesel. Electric Freightway's modelled break-even relies on an £81,000 grant, 120,000 km a year and cheap depot power.
  • Weight rules cost payloadBattery weight eats into payload on the heaviest work, and the current derogation doesn't fully cover it.
  • Smaller operators carry more riskSmall operators are more exposed to the upfront cost and the financial risk.
  • Drivers come round once they've driven oneOf Electric Freightway drivers who had driven an eHGV, 52% backed electrification, against 13% to 20% of drivers who had only driven diesel.
  • Battery electric is ahead of hydrogen, for nowHydrogen progress has been limited. ZENFreight cut its hydrogen trucks from 16 to 3, and HyHAUL was ended.

Sources: ZEHID Annual report 2026, pp. 3-4, 22, 27-29; Electric Freightway Report 4, pp. 44-45, 62, 76, 113-114; eFREIGHT 2030 eHGV Charger Connections Case Study, p. 9; eHGV Purchasing Options and Considerations, p. 6; Navigating Net Zero Road Freight, p. 24

Where they diverge

  • Public vs depot chargingElectric Freightway is building 11 public on-route sites, but about 95% of the journeys it has analysed charge only at the home depot. eFREIGHT 2030 has moved to depot charging. The evidence on how much public charging the heavy end needs is thin.
  • What kind of evidence existsElectric Freightway has published measured operating data. eFREIGHT 2030 has published modelling, guidance and interviews, but no trial results. ZENFreight hasn't published yet. A like-for-like operating comparison isn't possible yet.
  • Cost of ownershipThe annual report's 8-year view, Electric Freightway's year-4 break-even and Catapult's two-to-three-year payback for a hypothetical fleet rest on different assumptions. They can't be compared directly.
  • EmissionsThe annual report's 81% cut and Electric Freightway's 2,700 tonnes CO2e saved use different methods and scopes.

Sources: Electric Freightway Report 4, pp. 4, 49, 62, 91; ZEHID Annual report 2026, pp. 4, 13, 19-20; The Road Ahead, p. 7; Electric Freightway Report 3, p. 41; Pre-feasibility eHGV Financial Assessment Tool, pp. 15-16

Report index

Every public ZEHID report and output we know of, linked to the publisher's own copy. Summaries are ours. Know of one we've missed? Tell us.

Consortium

Type

Showing 32 of 32

What happens next

  • Five years of monitoringWSP runs monitoring and evaluation from 2026 to 2031. 2026 to 2028 covers scale-up and benchmarking of cost, operations and infrastructure; 2028 to 2031 covers long-term performance, degradation and seasonal effects. Annual reports continue.
  • Still coming onlineAbout 60 vehicles and 30 sites are still due to reach the end-2026 totals. Electric Freightway's remaining public sites open through 2026, and ZENFreight's three hydrogen trucks are due into service shortly.
  • Outstanding reportseFREIGHT 2030's final report, announced for 2025. Trial operating results from eFREIGHT 2030 and ZENFreight. The second ZEHID annual report.
  • Questions the evidence doesn't answer yetHow utilisation changes as operators gain confidence. Real-world cost of ownership and residual values. How much public charging 40t+ long-haul needs. Whether hydrogen has a role, given only three trucks will produce operating data. How batteries hold up over five years.

Sources: ZEHID Annual report 2026, pp. 3-4, 11-12, 30-31, 33; Electric Freightway Report 4, p. 115; eFREIGHT 2030 consortium releases report on eHGV purchasing models; Navigating Net Zero Road Freight, p. 24; The Road Ahead, p. 7

Last reviewed and updated 21 October 2026. Sources: Innovate UK, WSP, Hitachi ZeroCarbon, Energy Systems Catapult, Department for Transport.

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