Aegis Energy has announced it has secured commitments of £100m from specialist global investment manager Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners (Quinbrook).
The investment kicks off the construction of one the UK’s first clean, multi-energy recharging and refuelling facilities for commercial vehicles.
The network of hubs aims to meet the needs of all truck and van operators transitioning to cleaner fuels, including electric, HVO, hydrogen and bio-CNG.
The company is installing the hubs as the energy transition demands considerable growth in infrastructure provision. Installing depot infrastructure is often impractical or unscalable, it said, particularly where logistics operators lease their premises or there’s a grid constraint. In addition, more than half of van drivers (52%) have no access to at-home charging.
Once ramped up, an average Aegis Energy site can reduce carbon equivalent emissions by approximately 14,300 tonnes per annum. An initial five-station network will be completed by the end of 2027, with stations planned in Sheffield, Immingham, Warrington, Corby and Towcester.
The firm has also secured sizeable grid connections in more than 5 locations, and will begin construction on the first of these stations in 2025, scheduled to open in early 2026. Aegis Energy plans to create a broader network of up to 30 hubs by the end of the decade.
The investment from Quinbrook represents its first foray into sustainable transport, complementing its broad portfolio of net zero transition investments across the UK, US and Australia in areas such as solar and storage, grid support, and power solutions for energy intensive industries.
In addition to bookable high-speed electric charging, Aegis Energy also designs its hubs to serve other low carbon fuels including HVO and AdBlue, hydrogen and bio-CNG. Each hub will have the capacity to charge/refuel more than 40 HGVs and 25 vans simultaneously. The hubs will also provide safe and secure truck parking and driver facilities that include clean toilets and showers, good food and calm spaces.
Christopher Thorneycroft-Smith, Co-founder at Aegis Energy, said:
“The lack of appropriate infrastructure is typically number one or two on the list of barriers for fleet operators. Building depot infrastructure can be complex and grid connections are not easy, or cheap, to secure. Not only this, but long-haul operations require a top-up charge, and for van drivers, when at-home charging isn’t a practical solution, they lose time waiting to charge elsewhere.
“The transition will take time and play out differently for each fleet, but by providing public hubs with multiple clean energy charging and refuelling options, we’re supporting operators to choose how they want to make the transition. Quinbrook’s funding will help us ensure that critical energy infrastructure is reliably available where our customers need it, and support millions of vehicles to make a once-in-a-multi-generational change.”
Keith Gains, Managing Director and UK Regional Lead for Quinbrook, said:
“Targets under the UK’s Zero Emission Vehicle mandate highlight the existing gaps in the infrastructure needed to provide accessible clean energy to transport fleets. This presents significant opportunities for Aegis Energy to build market-leading refuelling hubs and we look forward to supporting its growth and expansion throughout the country.”
Image courtesy of Aegis Energy
