Project Summary
The “WattRoutes” project will strategically identify optimal sites for electric Heavy Goods Vehicle (eHGV) charging infrastructure across Scotland. By analysing existing haulage patterns and power network constraints, this project will develop quantitative evidence to support eHGV-enabling stakeholders. The project will identify key locations for sustainable charging hubs, facilitating the integration of electric HGVs into the transportation network. By combining cross-sector data-driven insights, this work will support early-stage planning for all eHGV enabling stakeholders and provide power distribution and transmission operators evidence as to where future grid reinforcement is required in short, mid and long time scales.
Project Achievements
The project developed various engineering and mathematical processes to convert relevant datasets into insights on where future charging infrastructure is needed to support demand and ensure geospatial coverage. The software tools created during the project include a payload energy requirements calculator, depot and fleet location analysis, origin/destination analysis, geospatial coverage and power network hosting capacity assessment. A suite of analytical and visualization tools was developed to support stakeholders and policymakers. Several case studies were investigated, including an analysis of existing routes with optimal siting of rest-stop eHGV charging across Scotland.
Conclusions
WattRoutes has successfully delivered a toolkit that enables stakeholders to confidently support the transition of HGVs to battery-electric alternatives by ensuring that grid capacity is available at optimal charging locations. Case studies demonstrated that the current Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of eHGVs is adequate for several practical use cases, though capital costs remain significantly higher than those of combustion engine alternatives. The TRIG programme provided essential funding and a platform for disseminating our findings. As a result. our solution has advanced from TRL 2 to TRL 4.
Next Steps
Going forward, we have four main ambitions to advance the impact and utility of our work. 1) Further disseminate our findings by publishing a journal paper and presenting the work at two industry conferences. 2) Develop follow-on impact assessment case studies to provide additional evidence and support for eHGV stakeholders and policymakers. 3) We plan to obtain operational performance data for various eHGV vehicle types and duty cycles to assess their real-world effectiveness. 4) Finally, to transition our developed tools and processes to a more user-friendly web-based software platform to enhance accessibility and usability.
