Welch's Transport opens megawatt eHGV charging hub at Cambridge site, built by Voltempo
The six-bay Duxford hub, delivered through the eFREIGHT 2030 project, gives the family haulier up to 1MW of dynamically distributed power and joins a matching facility at Bedford.
Welch's Transport has opened a new megawatt-scale eHGV charging hub at its Cambridge headquarters as part of the eFREIGHT 2030 project, according to Voltempo, which delivered the infrastructure.
The Duxford hub uses Voltempo's HyperCharger technology across six high-power charging bays, comprising two full-length drive-in, drive-out bays for complete tractor and trailer combinations and four tractor-unit bays. Voltempo says the site can deliver up to 1MW of power dynamically distributed across the six bays.
It joins an existing six-bay, 1MW charging hub at Welch's Bedford depot, also delivered under eFREIGHT 2030, giving the operator high-power charging at both sites.
Welch's began operating electric HGVs in 2023 with a 19-tonne Renault Trucks E-Tech D Wide. In October 2024 it became the first operator to put an electric tractor unit on the road through eFREIGHT 2030, taking delivery of the first of two 42-tonne Renault Trucks E-Tech T units under the programme. A third E-Tech T and a DAF electric tractor unit have since joined the fleet, with three 28-tonne Renault Trucks E-Techs also on order. Voltempo says 12% of Welch's fleet will be electric by January 2027.
Through Voltempo's DepotCharge model, Welch's is opening spare charging capacity at both the Cambridge and Bedford sites to approved third-party fleets, which Voltempo says improves utilisation and generates additional revenue from the infrastructure.
eFREIGHT 2030 sits within the UK Government's Zero Emission HGV and Infrastructure Demonstrator (ZEHID) Programme, funded by the Department for Transport and delivered in partnership with Innovate UK. The wider consortium is introducing 88 electric HGVs and establishing charging infrastructure across 36 sites, including 25 megawatt-scale hubs, as part of a multi-year real-world evaluation of zero-emission road freight.
Chris Welch, Managing Director of Welch Group, said the company decided early on to be at the forefront of electric freight, but that it always had to make commercial sense, adding that Welch's had invested in the trucks, learned to operate them in the real world, and now has high-power infrastructure at Cambridge and Bedford to support the next stage.
Dr Harsh Pershad, Innovation Lead for Zero Emission Vehicles at Innovate UK, which delivers ZEHID on behalf of the DfT, said the opening of the megawatt-scale hub developed by Welch's and Voltempo through the ZEHID-funded eFREIGHT 2030 project was an important milestone, showing that electric HGVs and infrastructure are feasible today for mid-size hauliers.
Welch's Transport is a 90-year-old, fourth-generation family haulier that Voltempo says recently reported record profits following a series of major contract wins.
Sources
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