Scottish eHGV trial finds 95% of routes viable

Scottish electric-HGV trial finds 95% of local routes already viable

A year-long Scottish trial has found that up to 95% of short and regional journeys across two wholesale fleets could be completed using electric HGVs.

EVCP Info 20 August 2026 1 min read Updated 25 August 2026

The case study involved the Scottish Wholesale Association, Renault Trucks, Vertellus, United Wholesale and Creed Foodservice, using 18-tonne Renault Trucks E-Tech D vehicles on real multi-drop routes across multiple seasons.

Average battery use was only 36%

The vehicles used just 36% of their battery capacity on average, leaving substantial unused range on many routes.

That is significant for charger specification because vehicles returning to depot with a large amount of remaining energy may not need the highest available charging power if they remain parked for a long overnight dwell period.

Depot charging delivered lower operating costs

United Wholesale reported operating costs around £10 to £20 lower per 100 km than diesel, while Creed Foodservice estimated annual running-cost savings of £6,630 per vehicle. The figures use February 2026 energy prices.

The study still identifies charging availability outside major urban areas and confidence in route planning as limitations, particularly as fleets move beyond predictable local and regional work.

The results show why route data and depot dwell time can be more useful than maximum vehicle range when deciding how much charging power a fleet actually needs.