Fleete has officially opened the UK’s largest dedicated commercial vehicle electric charging hub at the Port of Tilbury.

Open to all electric commercial vehicles, the 5MW facility is equipped with ultra-rapid chargers that enable up to 16 electric HGVs to charge simultaneously.

It’s the first of a network of shared commercial vehicle charging hubs, designed to accelerate fleet electrification across the UK by providing high-powered charging at strategic locations, ensuring logistics firms can electrify without the need for depot upgrades. Fleete is already working on its second charging hub, after securing planning consent for a site at Hams Hall Distribution Park near Birmingham that will feature 26 charging bays.

The site at the Port of Tilbury is strategically located at one of the UK’s busiest multimodal freight hubs, serving the growing number of zero-emission commercial vehicles operating in and through port and along the A13 corridor into London. It also supports national infrastructure programmes including the Lower Thames Crossing.

Delivered in partnership with the Port of Tilbury and Thames Freeport, the hub supported by £1m from the UK government’s Thames Freeport Seed Capital Programme, with further funding provided by the Zero Emission HGV and Infrastructure Demonstrator (ZEHID) Programme, funded by the Department for Transport in partnership with Innovate UK.

The hub will primarily focus on eHGVs but will also accept smaller electric trucks and vans – all customers need to sign up at fleete.com before using the site.

Fleete’s shared-user model provides fleet operators with access to reliable, high-quality charging without the need for dedicated facilities, addressing common barriers to electrification including grid capacity, land constraints and upfront infrastructure cost.

Speaking at the opening event, Chris Morrison, CEO at Fleete, said the site proves that shared, high-capacity charging infrastructure can remove one of the biggest barriers to fleet electrification.

“The Port of Tilbury hub shows what’s possible when industry and government work together to deliver infrastructure at scale. By supporting customers and collaborating with partners across the supply chain, we’re helping accelerate the transition to zero-emission commercial transport where it’s needed most.”

Keir Mather, aviation, maritime and decarbonisation minister, said: “This is a significant milestone in our drive to decarbonise road freight, helped by £1m government investment at the Port of Tilbury site to install EV chargers for HGVs.

“Road freight is the backbone of our economy, keeping goods moving and businesses growing. By supporting the sector to go electric, we’re cutting emissions and backing the industry to thrive long into the future.”