Stagecoach Midlands offers eHGV charging service

Bus and coach operator Stagecoach has worked with electric fleet solutions provider VEV to create a third-party charge out service the Nuneaton bus depot in Warwickshire.  

The depot is home to 45 high-powered EV chargers and a new solar power system.  

Stagecoach is trialling VEV’s smart charging and digital energy management platform to assess the case for shared charging infrastructure.

Stagecoach announced plans to give businesses access to its charging infrastructure during off-service hours earlier this year. The company’s ambition is to create a secondary income stream while helping to decarbonise the wider transport ecosystem across a variety of use-cases, including HGVs, last-mile delivery, refuse collection and blue light services. 

Marvin Smith, head of solutions Sales at Stagecoach said:?“This is a huge step forward for the team as we continue to test and refine our offer before roll-out more broadly. What we’re building is truly unique, with wide bays that offer plenty of space for large vehicles, clean infrastructure and no queues.” 

VEV helps organisations deliver on their carbon reduction ambitions with an end-to-end fleet electrification solution that integrates across vehicles, charging infrastructure and power. 

The eHGV trial is part of a wider regional electrification project from VEV to support the introduction of 150 new electric buses across Stagecoach’s depots in Leamington, Nuneaton, Rugby and Chesterfield. In addition to the new chargers, solar power generation has been installed at Chesterfield, Leamington and Nuneaton, reducing reliance on the national grid with forecast lifetime savings of more than £1m.

Simon Cubitt, commercial director for Bus and Coach at VEV said: “We couldn’t be prouder to be supporting Stagecoach with their ambitions for B2B charging as a key opportunity to help offset the costs of electrifying their fleet, while helping other operators to start their own EV journey. Stagecoach has truly been leading the way to create an infrastructure network that serves the entire transport industry and the surrounding communities.”