Freshly launched shared charging model to cut e-truck costs by 10%, says Shell

May 28, 2026

Stagecoach and Shell have both launched new depot charging initiatives aimed at reducing one of the biggest barriers facing electric vans and HGVs: infrastructure cost.

Stagecoach has opened seven of its electric bus depots to third-party commercial fleets through a new programme called Chargd, giving operators access to rapid charging infrastructure already used by its own electric buses.

The sites, including depots in London, Oxford and Cambridge, are designed to support vans, commercial vehicles and, at selected locations, electric HGVs.

Meanwhile, Shell has unveiled its new PowerPack 500 charging system for truck depots, designed to help fleets gradually scale electric charging infrastructure while potentially opening those sites to external operators.

Shell says modelling based on a heavy-duty truck covering 116,000km annually over five years suggested shared depot charging infrastructure could reduce electric truck total cost of ownership by up to 10% compared with diesel under certain operating conditions.

The two announcements reflect a wider shift happening across the fleet sector. Rather than every operator funding standalone charging networks, shared depot infrastructure is increasingly being viewed as a way to improve charger utilisation, reduce upfront costs and accelerate EV adoption.

For fleets operating larger commercial vehicles, access to reliable high-capacity charging remains one of the biggest operational challenges surrounding electrification.