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Charging & flexibility for electric HGVs

Ready for the next load.
Smarter about the charge.

TOGL brings the truck, its next duty and the depot into one charging plan. Fit energy around departures, use lower-cost periods and make more of the connection you already have.

Talk about your truck fleetSee how it works

Closed pilots are underway. We agree vehicle, charger and site scope with each operator.

The next duty sets the planIllustrative
Next departureEnergy needed, on time
Charging windowUse the time that fits
Vehicle dataDepot powerEnergy price

Start with the truck

A battery percentage is only half the story.

A truck returning from a light local run may need a different charge from one heading out fully loaded. TOGL is designed to bring vehicle data and operational plans together, so charging follows the work that comes next.

What is in the battery?

State of charge, usable battery capacity and charging limits establish the starting point. Data access is checked for the vehicles in scope.

What is the next duty?

Route energy, payload, departure time and your operating reserve determine the charge target. A late return changes the time available.

What can the depot deliver?

Charger availability, the confirmed connection limit and other site demand set the power the plan can use.

The useful question: how much energy does this truck need, and how much of its charging can safely move?

More charging, same connection

Use the whole window.
Ease the peak.

High-power chargers do not all need to run flat out at once. Where duty cycles allow, spreading charging can serve more trucks on the existing connection and help defer or avoid an upgrade.

One connection · An illustrative comparison

Same site limit in both cases

Existing chargers · Other site load reserved first

Six trucks. Three charging pairs.

With enough time on site, six trucks can charge in pairs. The same connection delivers more energy across a longer part of the window.

Plug inAvailable windowDepart
01
Charge
02
Charge
03
Charge
04
Charge
05
Charge
06
Charge

Two simultaneous sessions leave headroom below the same limit.

What this example assumes

Conceptual illustration, not a pilot result. Each truck has the same energy need and charging rate. Six suitable charging bays are already installed. The scheduled case supplies twice the total vehicle energy over three times the active charging period, with two trucks charging instead of three. Background site load is held constant. More trucks fit only when the available dwell time, charger access, battery acceptance and energy needs allow. Scheduling cannot create extra connection capacity or solve an energy shortfall where the window is too short.

Time of use

Buy energy when it costs less.
Within the truck’s window.

The cheapest period is useful only if the truck can use it. TOGL is designed to compare usable tariff periods with energy needs and departure times, keeping urgent charging ahead of optional savings.

One depot.
Different deadlines.

The early departure charges first. A truck staying longer can wait for a lower-cost period.

Illustrative sequence, not tariff or vehicle data
Return to depotLower-cost periodNext shift

Illustrative relative energy price

Early departure
Charge nowDepart
Longer dwell
Lower-cost chargingDepart

Flexibility around the duty

Sometimes wait.
Sometimes charge sooner.

Some charging can move in response to a grid request. Participation depends on the site, the market route and enough room in the charging plan. The next departure stays the starting point.

Turn-downReduce demand
23:0001:0003:0007:00
Original
20 kW
Adjusted
20 kW20 kW

Event 01:00–03:00 · −20 kW during the event
120 kWh delivered in either plan

Pause where there is time to catch up.

In this illustration, 120 kWh is needed by 07:00. At 20 kW, moving two hours of charging ahead of a 01:00–03:00 event leaves the same energy delivered by departure. An advance request and enough time on site make that change possible.

Daytime turn-upIncrease demand
12:0013:3015:00
Original
60 kW
Turn-up
60 kW

Event 12:00–13:00 · +60 kW during the event
90 kWh delivered in either plan

Bring useful charging into the day.

In this illustration, a truck parked from 12:00 to 15:00 needs 90 kWh. Moving its 60 kW session from 13:30–15:00 to 12:00–13:30 brings useful charging into a 12:00–13:00 turn-up event. It needs spare site power and a battery able to accept the charge.

Both examples change electricity imported for charging. Neither requires exporting from the truck. Any payment depends on eligibility, the agreed baseline and delivery terms.

Visiting trucks

A useful stop for a truck.
A better-used depot.

A truck does not always need to charge at its home base. A bus depot with spare daytime bays, for example, could host a visiting truck while its own fleet is on the road. The host’s operation sets the boundaries.

Bus duties first.

The host fleet takes priority. Its charging and return times set the boundaries for any visiting truck.

Host bus fleetHost charging
Visiting truckNo visitor access yet
One shared site limitReserved for the host fleet

Illustrative sequence. Vehicle images identify each fleet; labels show its current role. Shared access and charging arrangements must be agreed with the operator.

01

Agree access before arrival

Operator permission, compatible equipment, a booked bay and the truck’s energy need define whether a visit is practical.

02

Charge inside the host’s limits

Reserve power for site demand and the host fleet. Set a firm hand-back time before buses or other depot vehicles return.

03

Check the net value

Compare the charging income and any eligible flexibility payment with energy costs, fees and operating effort. For the visiting fleet, include detour and driver time. An empty bay alone is not a business case.

Shared-depot charging is a scenario to assess with operators and partners. Access, booking, metering and settlement arrangements need to be agreed for the site.

Start with your working day

Bring the routes.
We’ll work through the charging.

Tell us about your trucks, return and departure times, chargers and site connection. We’ll discuss where a scoped pilot could help with readiness, charging costs and eligible flexibility.

Talk about your truck fleet
Explore the platformOther electric fleetsElectric bus depots

FAQ

Questions about electric HGVs

How does TOGL plan charging around a truck’s next duty?

TOGL starts an electric truck charging plan with route energy, operating reserve, return and departure times, charger access and site power. Lower-cost charging and eligible flexibility must fit inside those limits. Vehicle data and charging controls depend on supported integrations, which are checked when scoping a pilot.

What is the difference between turn-down and turn-up flexibility?

Turn-down flexibility reduces charging demand during an eligible event, while turn-up moves a required charge into a period when a service requests more demand. Both depend on the truck’s availability, battery acceptance, site headroom and an accepted service baseline. Payment depends on the service and contract and is not guaranteed.

Could trucks charge at a bus depot or another fleet’s depot?

TOGL treats shared depot charging as a site-specific opportunity where a host has compatible chargers and spare power during a useful stop on a truck’s route. Access, booking, driver time, fees and departure priorities need agreement. This is not a live TOGL booking network, and any flexibility value depends on service eligibility and contract terms.

Why do electric HGVs matter more to a depot than electric vans?

TOGL focuses on electric HGVs because their large batteries and short charging windows can make them the biggest loads at a depot. Moving one truck's charging can shift as much energy as moving the charging of several vans, provided the next route still has enough charge.

What is TOGL worth per electric HGV?

TOGL models £15,000–£34,000 per vehicle per year for an eHGV. Modelled against unmanaged charging. Around 40% of the modelled value is charging cost savings available through smart charging today; the remainder depends on demand charge reduction tested through scoped pilots and flexibility revenue (planned). Indicative ranges only, subject to TOGL modelling. Actual value depends on duty cycle, battery size, tariff structure, site constraints, charging windows, integration availability, and flexibility market access.

Does TOGL support electric HGVs today?

TOGL does not support electric HGVs as a live capability yet. Managing electric truck charging at the depot is being tested through pilot work. Vehicle data access depends on manufacturers making an API available for those models, and bus support is Planned.

Can an eHGV depot run on its existing grid connection?

TOGL is developing an assessment of whether an electric HGV depot may fit within its existing connection. The answer depends on the depot's confirmed site limit, other site load, truck energy needs and available charging windows. Indicative local network capacity is kept separate from the confirmed limit in the depot's connection agreement.