Technical and Economical Feasibility of the Transition to Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) HGVs in the North East of Scotland

Client: Nestrans (Transport Partnership for Aberdeen & Aberdeenshire)

Date: 2025

The Question

What is the potential demand for battery electric HGVs in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire by 2030, for which charging facilities would be needed?

The Solution

MDST, working in partnership with SYSTRA, undertook a review of evidence for the potential future demand for battery electric HGVs in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire.  The desk-based review involved:  
  • Building an origin-destination matrix to assess local and long-distance freight patterns, based on official UK datasets and regional and local level data.
  • Analysing the distribution of HGV types, vehicle weights, trip lengths, and commodities.
  • Mapping key freight hubs such as warehouses, the ports of Aberdeen and Peterhead and Aberdeen Airport.
  • Reviewing market forecasts for battery electric HGVs from reliable sources and assessing real-world feasibility based on trip distances and fleet composition.
  • Developing battery electric HGV adoption scenarios for the Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire area up to 2030.

The impact

The work allowed the client to understand the extent to which HGV movements to, from and within Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire could realistically be completed using battery electric HGVs by 2030.