Gridserve’s Electric Freightway project has gone live with the opening of the first public eHGV hubs.

Located at Extra Baldock at J10 of the A1(M) and Moto Exeter at J30 of the M5, the new hubs will help lay the foundations for zero-emission freight.

The publicly accessible charging has been designed specifically for electric trucks and mark the UK’s first public, turn-up-and-charge eHGV hubs under the Electric Freightway programme.

The flagship project is funded by the Department for Transport’s Zero Emission HGV and Infrastructure Demonstrator (Zehid) programme, which is delivered in partnership with Innovate UK.

One of four successfully funded programmes under the Zehid scheme, the Electric Freightway involves a 25-strong consortium of UK hauliers and truck manufacturers.

The scheme is designed as the truck counterpart to Gridserve’s Electric Highway; a nationwide ultra-rapid charging network for cars and vans located at convenient motorway service areas and retail locations across the UK.

The Electric Highway has already made great progress in the delivery of ultra-rapid eHGV charging depots, such as Nissan’s Sunderland plant.

The initiative has now rolled out to the public with the launch of the Extra Baldock and Moto Exeter; the first of seven public eHGV charging hubs to open in 2026.

Extra Baldock is equipped with six dedicated eHGV charging bays from launch, while Moto Exeter opens with four eHGV charging bays and nine 175-350kW chargers. All feature new safety markings, custom signage to account for the higher HGV driving position and have been designed as drive-through bays that enable all models to plug in, regardless of charge port location.

A ‘swept-path’ analysis has also been conducted to ensure drivers can navigate charging lanes safely, while wide walkways, lighting, sensors and CCTV have also been considered to ensure drivers can safely walk between vehicles, chargers and the service area facilities.

With Moto Exeter and Extra Baldock now open for use, Gridserve will open further eHGV charging sites at Tamworth, Thurrock, Leeds, Chester and Strensham North later this year.

Daniel Kunkel, CEO of Gridserve, said the Electric Freightway shows that zero-emission freight is “no longer a future ambition but a live, operational reality”.

“With the help of our consortium partners, we’re now proving that electric HGVs can run real routes at real scale, using shared public infrastructure.

“Over the last five years, the Electric Highway has provided a super-fast and reliable nationwide charging network for electric passenger cars, giving drivers the confidence to make the switch to electric. We hope the Electric Freightway can give fleet managers of the freight sector the same level of confidence.”

Tom Dobson, CEO of Extra, said the opening of the UK’s first public eHGV charging hubs was a watershed moment for electric freight.

“Extra is committed to supporting the decarbonisation of this crucial sector, and we look forward to working with Gridserve to deliver a network of strategically located, high-power public eHGV charging hubs that enable electric trucks to operate in a sustainable manner.”

The Moto Exeter hub was delivered by leading EV infrastructure installer Actemium, which was the principal contractor for the project.

Simon Birchall, senior project manager at Actemium E-Mobility, added: “As a first-of-its-kind project, the Moto Exeter eHGV hub presented unique engineering and operational challenges. It involved complex civil works and highways-specification surfacing. Throughout construction, we had to deliver safely within a live motorway service area while maintaining traffic flow and full public access. We managed it all successfully through detailed planning, close coordination with Gridserve and Moto, and an uncompromising focus on safety and quality at every stage.”