An e-HGV has been charged at Stagecoach’s Nuneaton bus depot in Warwickshire. The bus and coach operator, working with e-fleet solutions provider VEV, says this is the site’s first third-party charge and it hopes it will be the start of a secondary income stream for the company.
HGV operators are trialling electric trucks to decarbonise, as well as vehicles using hydrogen fuel cells or a vegetable-oil based diesel replacement. One issue with e-HGVs is that they need more space and very high-capacity chargers, requiring dedicated charging facilities. The needs of electric bus fleets, however, are similar. Stagecoach says its Nuneaton depot has 45 high-powered EV chargers and a new solar power system. This, and VEV’s smart charging and digital energy management platform, have now been put to the test by an electric HGV.
Stagecoach said the trial “sets the scene for a future of more shared charging infrastructure” after Stagecoach announced plans to give businesses access to its charging infrastructure during off-service hours earlier this year. It expects to serve HGVs, last-mile delivery, refuse collection and ‘blue light’ services.

Marvin Smith, Head of Solutions Sales at Stagecoach said: “This is a huge step forward for the team as we continue to test and refine our offer before rollout more broadly. What we’re building is truly unique, with wide bays that offer plenty of space for large vehicles, clean infrastructure and no queues.”

The wider regional electrification project includes 150 new electric buses and chargers across depots in Leamington, Nuneaton, Rugby and Chesterfield, with solar power generation at Chesterfield, Leamington and Nuneaton.