The future of electric logistics will be shaped by much more than the vehicles themselves.

Businesses are exploring how electrification can help reduce emissions and prepare their operations for a lower-carbon future. Yet while electric vehicle technology continues to advance, widespread adoption depends on the broader infrastructure and expertise required to make electrification work at scale.

For logistics providers, that means addressing a complex challenge. Electric trucks need access to reliable charging, facilities need the power capacity to support growing demand, operators need a clear understanding of how new technologies perform in real-world conditions, and customers need assurance that lower-carbon solutions can be integrated into supply chains without compromising the efficiency or reliability they are being judged on.

Across our European network and beyond, we are working to help create those conditions, investing in electric transport, charging infrastructure and sustainable logistics solutions that can support the industry's transition.

Making Electrification Work in Practice

The logistics industry has made significant progress in understanding the role it must play in reducing emissions, but moving from ambition to implementation can be the most complex part of the journey.

Many transport operators recognise the long-term potential of electrification but are still navigating practical questions around vehicle range, charging requirements, infrastructure availability and overall operational performance. While interest in electric transport continues to grow, confidence often comes from experience rather than theory.

That is why creating opportunities for businesses to test and experience these options is becoming increasingly important.

Rather than viewing electrification as a future challenge, we are looking for practical ways to demonstrate how electric technologies can fit within our customers' existing operations and support their long-term business goals. Electric trucks are already operating within our business in the UK, Germany and the Netherlands. In Bicester, we have supported BMW's logistics operations with electric vehicles for more than a year and are continuing to expand the fleet, while additional electric trucks are now being deployed across our European network. These operations are providing valuable insight into how electrification performs in real-world logistics environments and helping inform the next phase of investment.

Helping Hauliers Gain Real-World Experience

Designed to help road freight operators reduce emissions while preparing for the future of zero-emission transport, our Low Carbon Truck Programme supports hauliers at different stages of their decarbonisation journey. More than 1,500 trucks from over 60 UK hauliers are now registered, creating one of the largest collaborative initiatives of its kind in the sector, and a key part of the programme is EVITA, the Electric Vehicle Introduction and Transition Accelerator.

Developed to help operators explore the realities of electric freight, EVITA enables hauliers to trial electric HGVs in real-world operating conditions. Rather than relying solely on demonstrations or theoretical modelling, participants can assess vehicle performance across their own routes and payloads.

By helping operators understand charging requirements, route planning considerations and vehicle performance, programmes like EVITA can play an important role in accelerating the industry's transition while reducing uncertainty around emerging technologies. The programme reflects the fact that belief in electric road freight is often built through experience, and creating opportunities for hauliers to test, learn and adapt will be critical to wider industry adoption.

Creating the Conditions for Change

Electrification is about far more than introducing new vehicles. The transition depends on the infrastructure, energy systems and operational planning needed to keep assets moving efficiently.

Across Europe, we are investing in the foundations required to support this shift. At London Gateway, for example, we partnered with Kempower and Kalmar to launch Europe's first ultra-high-power 500A charging system for electric straddle carriers. The initial installation included eight liquid-cooled charging satellites, multiple 500kW power units and dedicated charging infrastructure for eight electric straddle carriers, demonstrating how large-scale terminal equipment can be electrified without compromising operational performance.

In 2025, the project continued to evolve with the addition of 12 Megawatt Charging System (MCS) chargers, creating a 7.2MW charging hub capable of supporting a growing fleet of electric port vehicles. Together, these investments highlight that success depends as much on the charging ecosystem as the vehicle itself. This approach is also being extended beyond our terminals, and we are working to develop a 5MW charging hub at London Gateway to support the transition of customers from diesel to electric road transport. This addition would create the energy infrastructure needed to support larger-scale fleet electrification in the years ahead.

A similar approach can be seen across our road transport operations. In the UK, electric heavy goods vehicles are already operating on customer supply chains, including dedicated services supporting BMW between Oxford and Bicester. By the end of 2025, we expect to have 13 electric HGVs operating within the UK, supported by dedicated charging infrastructure including 1MW of charging capacity delivered in partnership with Shell.

Experience from these operations has reinforced several important lessons. Successful electrification requires a detailed understanding of route profiles, close collaboration with customers and access to reliable charging infrastructure. While challenges remain, particularly around payload allowances and charging availability for longer-distance freight, practical experience helps build confidence and identify opportunities for wider adoption. Importantly, this experience is also helping demonstrate that electrification can make commercial as well as environmental sense. In the right operating conditions, electric road freight can now compete with traditional diesel services while delivering significant emissions reductions for customers.

As electric vehicle technology continues to evolve, the focus is increasingly shifting from whether electrification is possible to how quickly the supporting infrastructure can scale to meet demand.

Designing Logistics Infrastructure for the Future

Electrification is influencing how infrastructure is designed, built and operated. Ports, terminals and distribution centres are long-term investments, often expected to support trade and economic growth for decades. Decisions made during their design and expansion can therefore have a significant impact on future emissions, energy consumption and operational efficiency.

At London Gateway, our fourth berth has been designed as an all-electric facility, embedding electrification into the project from the outset rather than retrofitting it later. The same approach will be replicated across berths five and six, which are set to make London Gateway the UK's largest container port by the end of the decade.

At Southampton, our recently opened driver welfare facility includes dedicated electric HGV charging points for hauliers using the port, helping provide the infrastructure needed to support the wider adoption of electric freight. While these facilities are designed for our customers and transport partners rather than our own fleet, they demonstrate how electrification considerations are increasingly being embedded into logistics infrastructure from the outset.

Designing infrastructure with electrification in mind creates opportunities to integrate charging systems, electrical capacity and operational requirements from day one. As charging technology continues to evolve, this approach becomes increasingly important. Megawatt Charging Systems (MCS), capable of charging heavy-duty electric vehicles in a fraction of the time previously required, have the potential to reshape the operational viability of electric freight and are an example of how infrastructure innovation is developing alongside vehicle technology. This approach can help reduce future complexity while ensuring facilities are better prepared to support the next generation of logistics operations.

As trade volumes grow and supply chains evolve, the sector is increasingly moving beyond individual electrification projects towards infrastructure that is designed for a lower-carbon future from the outset.

In many ways, that represents the next phase of the transition. We are not simply introducing electric assets, but creating ports, terminals and logistics facilities that are built to support electrified operations at scale.

Supporting Europe's EV Supply Chains

As the electric vehicle market continues to expand, so too does the need for specialist logistics capabilities capable of supporting the movement of vehicles, batteries and components across complex international supply chains. From manufacturing sites and ports to distribution centres and final delivery destinations, every stage of the electric vehicle journey depends on reliable logistics.

Batteries sit at the heart of this transition. As demand for electric vehicles grows, manufacturers require specialist infrastructure capable of handling, storing and distributing increasingly large volumes of lithium-ion batteries safely and efficiently.

To help support that demand, we recently increased our multi-user battery storage capacity in Germany by 50%, strengthening our ability to support customers across the automotive sector. The investment expanded specialist storage capabilities and reinforced the infrastructure required to manage battery products in line with stringent safety and regulatory requirements.

Batteries require dedicated expertise, specialist handling procedures and purpose-built storage environments, so as EV production continues to scale, logistics providers will play an increasingly important role in ensuring those products move smoothly through supply chains. Our dedicated EV and battery logistics solutions are designed to support this growing sector, helping manufacturers move critical cargo safely and efficiently through global supply chains.

As Europe's electric vehicle market continues to mature, the importance of specialised logistics capabilities will only continue to increase.

From Early Adoption to Industry Transformation

The transition to electric logistics remains a journey rather than a destination, but we believe in the necessity for organisations to step up and take accountability for making these changes possible.

Infrastructure deployment will continue to accelerate, but challenges around charging coverage, grid capacity and operational scalability still need to be addressed. Innovation and collaboration across industry will be critical to ensuring electric logistics can develop at the pace required, but progress is being made.

From operational electric truck fleets and charging infrastructure to all-electric port facilities and specialised EV logistics services, the foundations for a more electrified logistics sector are being built today. At the same time, we are continuing to explore emerging technologies including next-generation lightweight trailers, battery drivetrain trailer systems and road freight automation, helping us better understand how the next wave of transport innovation could support the industry.

Powering Europe's electric logistics future will require commitment, investment and partnership across the industry. By combining infrastructure, operational expertise and practical experience, logistics providers can help accelerate the transition and ensure that electrification delivers lasting value for businesses, customers and supply chains alike. Because ultimately, powering Europe's electric logistics future is not just about adopting new vehicles, but creating the infrastructure, capability and operational confidence needed to support electrification at scale.

Read more about how we're driving the logistics industry toward a more sustainable future.