Nissan opens electric truck charging station at Sunderland plant

Nissan has commissioned a new £1.4 million electric heavy goods vehicle (eHGV) charging station at its Sunderland manufacturing plant in the United Kingdom as part of an initiative to decarbonise its supply chain.

Claimed to be a first in the UK automotive sector, the private-use shared charging facility will initially support a fleet of 25 electric trucks used by haulage partners Fergusons, Yusen, and BCA to deliver parts to the plant and transport finished vehicles to the Port of Tyne.

The initiative is part of the broader Electric Freightway project, led by GRIDSERVE and funded through the UK Government’s Zero Emission HGV and Infrastructure Demonstrator programme, delivered in partnership with Innovate UK.

The facility features seven charging stations with capacity to charge up to ten eHGVs simultaneously. The trucks are expected to cover more than 2.4 million kilometres annually, with an estimated reduction of around 1,500 tonnes of CO2 per year.

Michael Simpson, Vice President of Supply Chain Management at Nissan AMIEO, said the facility supports the plant’s broader EV36Zero sustainability strategy, which includes electric vehicle production, renewable energy use, and battery manufacturing.

“It is fantastic for our plant to be leading the charge to an electrified supply chain with this project,” Simpson said. “We’re exploring further opportunities to allow other hauliers to use the charging station as well as looking at other opportunities to maximise its full potential.”

The 25-truck fleet supported by the new charging facility will collect parts from suppliers across the UK, including Derby, and deliver finished vehicles to and from the Port of Tyne.

GRIDSERVE CEO Daniel Kunkel described the project as a step towards more sustainable freight transport: “Depot charging is critical for the electrification of HGVs, going hand in hand with future public infrastructure developments.”

The UK Government’s Minister for the Future of Roads, Lilian Greenwood, said projects like this support the Government’s £200 million zero-emission HGV programme, which aims to reduce emissions from the freight sector and support job creation.