Manufacturer teams up with NHS to promote battery-powered HGVs

Magtec, a manufacturer based in Rotherham, has led a project to promote adoption of zero-emission heavy goods vehicles in the transportation industry.

The company partnered with subcontractors Dynamon, a data science business, and UK Power Networks, a charging infrastructure provider, to develop a predictive tool to help fleet managers make the transition to electric vehicles.

The project also saw Magtec manufacture 10 battery-powered 18t HGVs with 180kWh battery systems for NHS Wales.

The health service allocated the vehicles to its medical supply chain distribution schedules on routes covering up to 90 miles per day.

The tool provided highly accurate data to compare performance against diesel vehicles on established routes to give a true reflection of the ability of commercial EVs to replicate some or all of a delivery fleet.

The project demonstrated significant savings for electric versus diesel.

Tony Chatfield, head of NHS Wales supply chain, logistics and transport, said: “Our four Magtec eHGVs excelled in urban environments with their smooth operation, lack of emissions, and ability to adjust height for different loading bays.

“The successful pilot has provided NHS Wales with key learnings for transitioning our fleet to more environmentally-friendly electric vehicles in the future.”

Andrew Gilligan, managing director of Magtec, said: “This project generated important insights for navigating regulatory challenges and advocating for supportive policies to drive the widespread adoption of zero emission technology in the heavy vehicle sector.”

Angus Webb, CEO of Dynamon, said: “Dynamon’s role was to support the challenge of identifying where electric HGVs could best serve the NHS Wales operation.

“It was fantastic working with Magtec, UK Power Networks, and NHS Wales to identify the optimum routes, vehicle battery sizes, and charging infrastructure requirements for a cost-effective deployment of commercial electric HGVs.

“We look forward to taking the learnings from the project to further support the adoption of these vehicles.”

The project was funded by the Department for Transport and delivered in partnership by Innovate UK using the SBRI funding mechanism.

Alistair Barnes, senior programme manager at Innovate UK, added: “This has demonstrated that vehicle operational capability can be accurately predicted, allowing fleets to make informed purchasing decisions.

“Combining this with real world experience gained through deployments with NHS Wales helps to support the uptake of battery electric HGVs.”