Battery technology keeps improving, but heavy transport is constrained by more than cell chemistry. Payload, charging time, depot infrastructure, utilisation, duty cycle and finance assumptions all shape whether a fleet decarbonisation strategy works in practice.
This page covers
battery payload loss, electric HGV economics, battery energy density, fleet TCO, depot charging, public charging downtime, hydrogen versus battery-electric trucks and fleet decarbonisation strategy.
Last updated: May 2026
Overview
Battery progress matters, but fleet economics are shaped by the operating model as much as the chemistry.
Core Themes
- battery weight, payload loss and vehicle productivity
- electric HGV economics and route profile
- fleet TCO, break-even points and utilisation
- depot charging, public charging downtime and grid constraints
- hydrogen versus battery-electric by use case
Featured Articles & Field Notes
These articles and field notes focus on where battery assumptions meet operational reality: pack weight, payload, charging time, depot constraints, utilisation, route profile and infrastructure timing.
Core argument: Battery progress matters, but fleet economics are shaped by the operating model as much as the chemistry.
Batteries
The hidden productivity hit of public charging for electric van fleets
The hidden productivity hit of public charging for electric van fleets Electrifying van fleets for drivers without off‑street parking moves […]
Read the field noteHydrogen
Battery Payload Loss: What the RHA Debate Reveals About Electric HGV Economics
Battery payload loss is becoming a structural constraint on 44-tonne electric HGVs. This analysis answers the main objections using RHA survey data, battery energy…
Read the field noteBatteries
Battery Payload Loss: Why Electric HGVs Are Uneconomic at 44 Tonnes
For 44-tonne operations — where the two-tonne battery derogation does not apply — the economics of electric HGVs are materially worse than diesel. The…
Read the field noteBatteries
Zero Emission HGVs UK: The Policy Gap BVRLA and RHA Operator Data Reveal
When Policy Ignores Physics: What Fleet Operators Are Really Saying About Zero-Emission HGVs Field Note – The zero emission HGV […]
Read the field noteBatteries
UK Zero Emission HGV Funding: £1bn, But Read the Small Print
Field Note — 26 March 2026 UK Zero Emission HGV Funding: £1bn, But Read the Small Print On 25 March […]
Read the field noteHydrogen
A Real‑World Fleet TCO Calculator (Not a Marketing Graphic)
A real‑world fleet TCO calculator that factors in daily duty cycles, charging downtime, payload loss and driver costs to compare diesel, BEV and hydrogen…
Read the field note