Birmingham’s Tyseley Energy Park to get HGV electric truck charging station

SSE Energy Solutions has unveiled plans to build its first all-electric charging centre for heavy commercial vehicles (HGVs) at Tyseley Energy Park in Birmingham.

The hub is just a few minutes from the A45 and will be able to charge up to four electric trucks at the same time using 360 kW chargers. Each charger is designed to provide a range of up to 300 km in up to two hours, depending on the type and size of the vehicle and battery, the company said.

It is part of SSE’s wider plans to build 500 ultra-fast charging stations for electric cars and commercial fleets powered by renewable energy across the UK and Ireland by 2030.

It is estimated that diesel-powered trucks are responsible for 17% of all road emissions in the UK, despite only making up five percent of all vehicles on British roads. Currently just 0.3% of trucks on Britain’s roads are electric and produce no tailpipe emissions.

Ben Brickwood, electric vehicle project development manager at SSE, said the company’s first all-electric charging station for trucks was therefore “a crucial step for SSE as we continue to enable the decarbonisation of the UK’s transport infrastructure and industry”.

“This project draws on our expertise and experience in the electrification of bus depots and the introduction of EV car hubs. It demonstrates our commitment to accelerating the transition to electric technology for all vehicles and creating the framework to support their adoption is required.”

Established in 2010, Tyseley Energy Park is home to the UK’s largest hydrogen refueling station and a 10MW waste wood biomass power station capable of generating enough electricity to power 17,000 homes.

David Horsfall, director of real estate at Tyseley Energy Park, said the SSE hub would be a major boost for the area, which is home to around 230 local businesses.

“This first-of-its-kind truck charging station will complement the clean fuels already offered at the low and zero carbon TEP station and is a major step forward in the region’s efforts to improve air quality and reduce carbon emissions “, he said.