First electric truck completes Channel Tunnel freight crossing

The first electric heavy goods vehicle has completed a cross-Channel journey using LeShuttle Freight, marking a step in the use of zero-emission road freight between the UK and continental Europe. The trip was carried out by Kuehne+Nagel in partnership with LeShuttle Freight, Voltempo and DAF Trucks, demonstrating the operational use of electric trucks in one of Europe’s busiest freight corridors.

The Channel Tunnel, operated by Eurotunnel, handles a quarter of all goods traded in value between the UK and continental Europe, with more than one million trucks moving through it each year. Through LeShuttle Freight, the tunnel provides a fully electric transport service for freight vehicles. The successful transit of an electric heavy goods vehicle confirms that such vehicles can operate within existing cross-Channel logistics flows.

Kate Broome, Sustainability and Social Impact Director at Kuehne+Nagel UK, said: “With this first-ever electric HGV journey via the Channel Tunnel, we set out to show what’s possible and to inspire others to accelerate their own electrification journeys. Planning a multi-country long-haul route still requires extra work to optimise our schedule for charging stops, but the rapid expansion of charging infrastructure across the UK and Europe is transforming what’s achievable.”

The journey covered a 1,700-kilometre round trip across five countries using a DAF New Generation XF electric truck. The vehicle departed from Kuehne+Nagel’s East Midlands Gateway facility after being charged using Voltempo’s megawatt-scale HyperCharger. The site includes a six-bay charging hub capable of delivering up to one megawatt of power or distributing capacity across multiple vehicles.

During the journey to Kuehne+Nagel’s depot in Haiger, Germany, the truck recharged at public charging locations operated by Gridserve in the UK and Milence in France and Belgium. The route demonstrated the availability of high-capacity charging infrastructure for long-haul electric freight operations across borders.

The initiative forms part of the eFREIGHT 2030 programme under the UK Government’s Zero Emission HGV and Infrastructure Demonstrator scheme. The programme is funded by the Department for Transport and delivered with Innovate UK, with participating companies sharing operational data to support wider adoption of low-emission freight.

Aviation, Maritime and Decarbonisation Minister Keir Mather said, “We’re backing British business by cutting up to £120,000 off the cost of new electric trucks and investing £120 million to roll out zero-emission lorries and the charging infrastructure needed to support them, boosting growth, UK manufacturing, and supporting jobs.

Peter Roberts, LeShuttle Freight Commercial Strategy Director, said: “This milestone marks a major step forward towards greener supply chains and shows what’s possible when industry and government collaborate. It’s a significant move towards decarbonising freight transport, and we’re proud to be rolling out this capability to all eHGVs later this year.”

David Kiss, Managing Director of DAF Trucks, said, “This cross-Channel operation proves how electric freight can be scaled on one of Europe’s busiest trade corridors, supporting both UK and EU net-zero ambitions while evidencing that sustainable international transport is practical, efficient, and commercially viable today.”

Roel Vissers, Chief Commercial Officer at Milence, said, “This milestone is strong proof that long-distance electric freight along Europe’s key transport corridors is already a reality. The multi-country journey and Channel Tunnel crossing shows how industry collaboration across Europe is enabling electric freight to operate seamlessly and at scale.”