Partnership is Leadership: Electrifying U.K. Freight

Shipping and logistics company DFDS is charging up change with near-zero-emission deliveries throughout the United Kingdom, one of forty countries that have signed the Global Memorandum of Understanding on Zero-Emission Medium- and Heavy-Duty Vehicles (Global MOU) to achieve 100% new zero-emission truck and bus sales by 2040. DFDS is committed to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050, a goal that dovetails with the Global MOU.

In 2024, DFDS joined the UK’s Zero Emission HGV & Infrastructure Demonstrator ZEHID Programme, a massive £200 million initiative to accelerate the deployment of near-zero emission trucks and buses. Through this initiative, DFDS secured funding to purchase and deploy eight Volvo FM Battery Electric trucks with 4x2 tractors. Equipped with 540kWh batteries, these trucks can travel up to 300 kilometers on a single charge and achieve 490 kW of continuous power, the equivalent of 666 horsepower.

As part of the project’s next phase, DFDS will install seven new charging stations, each strategically located and designed to maximize the new trucks’ delivery territory. As of May 2025, three of the charging stations – Sandhills, Grimsby and Simonswood – have been installed. The others – Ballymena, Shetland, Killingholme, and Peterborough – will be completed by the end of the year. In total, there will be 22 charging outlets across the seven charging stations. Most chargers will have a charging speed of 2.5 hours with DC charging.

Beyond serving as a powerful example of charging up change, this public-private partnership offers key lessons that will inform the UK’s transition to ZE-MHDVs and ability to achieve its zero-emission truck and bus sales targets. Among the positive findings: DFDS’ new trucks are experiencing greater mileages and lower kWh/mile averages than was simulated. As a result, the company is re-evaluating its approach toward permissible transport runs and on-road charging infrastructure requirements.

To learn more about how the UK's policy landscape is supporting the country's drive to zero, visit our website for the full article. To read this Charging Up Change case study, visit the drive to zero website.