First electric HGV travels through the Channel Tunnel

23rd January 2026

The first electric heavy goods vehicle (eHGV) has travelled through the Channel Tunnel as part of a Government-funded project.

Members of eFreight 2030, part of the UK Government’s Zero Emission HGV and Infrastructure Demonstrator (ZEHID) programme, Kuehne+Nagel, Voltempo and Daf Trucks worked with LeShuttle Freight to deliver the eHGV first.

The Channel Tunnel, managed and operated by Eurotunnel, is a vital European trade corridor, carrying a quarter of all goods traded in value between the UK and continental Europe through its LeShuttle Freight service, with more than a million trucks crossing each year.

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.

“Today we’ve demonstrated that this effort truly pays off – and this electric‑corridor milestone shows just how quickly the future of sustainable transport is taking shape.”

The journey began at Kuehne+Nagel’s East Midlands Gateway depot in the UK where the truck was loaded with 12-tonnes of freight before being fully charged using the depot’s Voltempo HyperCharger.

The Kuehne+Nagel six-bay hub is capable of delivering charge rates of up to one megawatt (MW), or to dynamically allocate the 1MW capacity across six trucks at once.

Along the 1,700 km round-trip route to Kuehne+Nagel’s depot in Haiger (Germany), the two-person crew topped up at public charging hubs operated by Gridserve (UK), and Milence in Dunkirk (France) and Maasmechelen (Belgium), showcasing the growing accessibility of fast-charging infrastructure for long-haul electric freight.

The vehicle used was the Daf New Generation XF, recently named International Truck of the Year 2026.

The vehicle provides a real-world range of up to 500km (310 miles) on a single charge and supports DC charging up to 325kW, enabling rapid top-ups to make long-haul daily journeys of up to 1,000 km a reality.

David Kiss, managing director of Daf Trucks, said: “This exciting milestone demonstrates that Daf electric trucks can reliably operate on international, multi-country routes, including the Channel crossing.

“The Daf XF Electric enables daily distances of up to 1,000 km in real-world operation when utilising rapid charging.

“Running with a tri-axle trailer at up to 42 tonnes GCW, it delivers genuine heavy-duty capability for mainstream logistics applications.

“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.”