Highways England trials electric roadworks vehicles

Highways England is trialling two electric powered roadworks vehicles with the aim of improving air quality along motorways and major A roads. One vehicle is being used across the East Midlands and the other on a major scheme on the A14 in the east of England. Martin Bolt, Highways England’s corporate group leader, operations directorate (Midlands) says: “We are actively exploring opportunities to improve air quality for those travelling on, or living near, our roads as well as reduce exposure for road wo
July 2, 2019 Read time: 2 mins

8101 Highways England is trialling two electric powered roadworks vehicles with the aim of improving air quality along motorways and major A roads.

One vehicle is being used across the East Midlands and the other on a major scheme on the A14 in the east of England.

Martin Bolt, Highways England’s corporate group leader, operations directorate (Midlands) says: “We are actively exploring opportunities to improve air quality for those travelling on, or living near, our roads as well as reduce exposure for road workers. These vehicles help with that and also reduce noise for nearby residents.”

Further measures include the installation of a barrier alongside the M1 in South Yorkshire to help improve air quality for the local community and the deployment of electric charge points on or near the motorway network.

The five-month project is being funded by Highways England’s £75 million allocation for air quality improvements.

Highways England is now working with H W Martin (Traffic Management) to trial both vehicles in tasks such as traffic management, maintenance operations and the installation and removal of lane closures for construction work. Experts from the University of Bath will collect and analyse data to determine for which tasks the vehicles are best suited.

Ryan Wood, technical manager for H W Martin, says: “Undertaking these trials will allow us to understand first-hand how the vehicles perform while carrying out different tasks and how current charging infrastructure provides a network for their use.”

The trial will be followed by a post-trial report, the results of which are expected to inform future work around assessing how charging infrastructure is deployed for major projects and looking at the future potential for using electric roadworks vehicles.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • NIC releases assessment to prepare UK for EVs and AVs
    July 16, 2018
    The UK government, energy regulator Ofgem and local authorities should enable the rollout of charging infrastructure to allow close to 100% electric vehicle (EV) sales by 2030, says The National Infrastructure Commission (NIC). The NIC has published its National Infrastructure Assessment to set out a long-term vision for sustainable economic infrastructure and help prepare the UK for the growth of EVs and autonomous vehicles. NIC’s assessment recommends Ofgem to regulate the interaction between EV c
    Read More
  • Spark and Ohmio trial 5G-connected driverless car in New Zealand
    March 15, 2019
    Telecoms operator Spark has joined forces with Ohmio Automotion to trial a 5G-connected driverless car on the streets of Auckland, New Zealand. The test was carried out in a controlled area at Auckland’s Wynyard Quarter Innovation Precinct, using Spark’s pre-commercial 5G network, which is available as part of its 5G Innovation lab. Spark launched the lab last November and is now using it to work with businesses in New Zealand to test the technical capabilities of 5G. Ohmio’s driverless car has b
    Read More
  • Blockchain: the next big thing for ITS? Really?
    October 8, 2018
    Everyone’s heard of blockchain – but most people are less sure about what it really is, and how it might be used in transportation. Andrew Williams peers into cyberspace to find some answers. A growing number of organisations in the ITS industry are exploring how blockchain technology could be used for ITS and mobility applications. So, what exactly is blockchain technology? What are the key current and potential applications in the mobility and ITS sector? And what practical benefits might it bring?
    Read More
  • M25 becomes UK’s smartest motorway
    April 11, 2014
    Final preparations are taking place for the M25 to become England’s first smart motorway, improving journeys and boosting the economy. Two sections of the motorway opening this month and next are between junctions 23 and 25 in Hertfordshire and between junctions 5 and 6/7 on the Kent/Surrey border. For the first time on a motorway scheme in England the hard shoulder will be used as a permanent traffic lane, with enhanced technology to manage traffic flow to improve the reliability of journey times.
    Read More

Highlighted Content