Key points:
- Electroway at Magna Park, Lutterworth, offers 180 secure truck bays and 32 chargers of up to 400 kW each.
- Megawatt charging of up to 1.2 MW is due early 2027, and the operator plans 30 sites across the UK and Europe.
- Bosch Road Services runs bookings, so fleets can reserve a specific charger with guaranteed capacity.
What is on site
Electroway was developed by Keoma Energy and financed by Guardian Smart Infrastructure Management, without public funding. Bosch Road Services runs the booking platform, number plate recognition, CCTV and remote monitoring, and the site is designed to meet the TAPA PSR Level 2 security standard, according to the operator. Drivers get a lounge, showers and laundry.
We described the security set-up and booking system when the site opened in October. What is new is the scale of the plans and the hardware behind them.
Read also: 180 secure bays and 32 chargers of 400 kW: new truck stop opens in the UK’s Golden Triangle
300 kWh in a 45-minute break
The 32 charging connectors were supplied by Finnish manufacturer Kempower. Each delivers up to 400 kW, with 2.4 MW of capacity shared dynamically across the site. According to Kempower, a truck can take on about 300 kWh during a 45-minute break, enough for up to 150 miles (about 240 km) depending on the vehicle.
That figure is chosen with drivers’ hours in mind. Under both EU and UK rules, a driver must take a 45-minute break after four and a half hours behind the wheel, so a charger that fills the battery within that break avoids losing working time.
A second phase, expected early next year, should add megawatt-level charging of up to 1.2 MW. In the longer term, the number of connectors could grow towards 180, matching the number of parking bays.
From one site to 30
Electroway describes Magna Park as the first of a planned network of 30 locations, presented in its launch announcement as a £1 billion (about €1.2 billion) ambition. The company has not said where the next sites will be, but says the network will cover the UK and Europe.
“Operators need to know that when a truck arrives, a charger will be available,” said Tylor Hartwell, CEO of Keoma Energy. Booking is the key: fleets can reserve a specific charger with guaranteed capacity through the Bosch platform, instead of hoping a public charger is free.
Why location matters
Magna Park sits in the UK’s logistics “Golden Triangle”, close to the M1, M6 and M69, with around 50 depots run by companies such as Amazon, ASDA and Marks & Spencer. Kempower says about 40% of tenants have net-zero pledges, which gives the site a ready pool of fleets that need charging.
“The Electroway is a blueprint for dedicated public truck charging within logistics hubs,” said Rolle Nieminen, head of sales for the UK and Ireland at Kempower.
The model of putting chargers where trucks already stop overnight, with security that insurers and shippers recognise, could matter well beyond Leicestershire. Secure parking is scarce in most of Europe, and charging networks for trucks are still at an early stage.
