Commercial fleets account for 10% of the UK's carbon emissions - 32 million tonnes a year. Aegis Energy was founded to accelerate the decarbonisation of that fleet.
Road transport remains one of the UK’s biggest decarbonisation challenges, accounting for approximately 27% of the UK’s total carbon emissions. And commercial vehicles play a huge role - in 2024, commercial fleets contributed 10% of all UK carbon emissions. Yet the lack of reliable, dedicated infrastructure remains one of the principal barriers preventing fleets from transitioning.
Our hubs are designed to provide that missing link: high-capacity charging and lower-carbon fuels in the places commercial vehicles actually travel. Our ambition is to develop a national network serving Britain's major motorway and freight corridors, with three hubs live by 2028 and 50+ hubs across the network.
How we build that network matters. Each hub must work for the drivers and fleets who use it, for the environment and communities around it, and for the councils, planners and investors who help make it possible.
Here we explain our approach to carbon reduction, biodiversity, driver welfare and community engagement.
Our north star: carbon emissions avoided
Every unit of clean energy we sell replaces diesel on UK roads. That metric - avoided emissions - is how we best measure our impact.
Our initial assessment of the carbon impact of our sites (based on a RICS whole life carbon assessment) compared forecast electric charging against an equivalent diesel forecourt serving the same vehicles from 2026 to 2060.
The interim results show that across our three initial hubs, Sheffield, Warrington and Dartford, that c 3.5 million tonnes of CO2e will be avoided, which is equivalent to an 82% cut in refuelling emissions verses diesel, with construction accounting for under 1% of avoided emissions at each site.
But of course, our construction comes with a carbon footprint – which is something we are working hard to minimise at every step of our design, construction and operation.
Sheffield
- Approximately 1.34 million tonnes CO2e avoided.
- More than 80% reduction versus diesel.
- Equivalent to one year of emissions from approximately 2,100 average UK cars.
- Estimated construction carbon of 5,816 tonnes CO2e.
Warrington
- Approximately 456,000 tonnes CO2e avoided.
- More than 80% reduction versus diesel.
- Equivalent to one year of emissions from more than 600 average UK cars.
- Estimated construction carbon of 4,034 tonnes CO2e.
Dartford
- Approximately 1.69 million tonnes CO2e avoided.
- More than 80% reduction versus diesel.
- Equivalent to one year of emissions from approximately 770,000 average UK cars.
- Estimated construction carbon of 9,076 tonnes CO2e.
Reducing the impact of construction
We aim to be a responsible developer and operator of every hub we build. That means thinking carefully, at every stage, from planning through to operation — about how we can reduce the carbon in our sites and the emissions from running them.
Building the infrastructure for the energy transition has a carbon cost of its own, and we hold ourselves to the same scrutiny on that as we do on the emissions we help avoid.
Our Sheffield, M1 J35 hub has an estimated construction carbon footprint of 5,816 tonnes CO2e — lower than we'd typically expect for a development of this size. The largest contributor is the concrete paving, which needs extra reinforcement to carry heavy HGV traffic.
Working with our principal contractor, we've already identified lower-carbon alternatives - switching to a reduced-carbon concrete mix alone cuts the site's assessed impact materially. We're also exploring carbon-sequestering materials for future sites as the technology matures commercially.
This work is independently assessed against the RICS Whole Life Carbon framework, so the numbers we publish are ones we can stand behind.
Biodiversity
New developments in England are required to deliver at least 10% Biodiversity Net Gain. We treat that statutory minimum as a starting point and develop a site-specific approach with our in-house planning and environmental team and external ecologists.
At our Sheffield, M1 J35 hub, our biodiversity plans include practical touches alongside the technical measures - like a "hedgehog highway," a small gap built into boundary fencing so hedgehogs and other wildlife can move freely across the site rather than being fenced out. This sits alongside wider work: species-rich grassland, trees and wetland habitats, enhancement of existing scrub, and sustainable drainage designed to protect wildlife and maintain corridors around the site.
Driver welfare
The people behind the wheel are the reason this network exists. Our sites are designed around them: safe, well-lit facilities; bays sized for vans and HGVs, not squeezed alongside cars; and charging that's fast enough that drivers aren't left waiting or competing for space.
Our facilities have been shaped through direct engagement with fleets and drivers - including tenant businesses at Smithywood Business Park - through driver workshops and physical site layout testing, so the finished hub reflects what drivers and fleet operators really need.
Additionally, in April 2026, Aegis Energy was invited by XPO to speak at its Female Driver Forum, where our team heard directly from around 30 female HGV drivers about what safe, welcoming roadside facilities looks like. Their feedback - on secure, well-maintained female-only facilities, sensible access that doesn't depend on a single method like an app, and healthier food options - is directly shaping how we design our own hub facilities.
Working with communities
We build where communities are, and we want to work with them from planning through to operation. That means early engagement with local authorities and residents on planning submissions, an open channel for questions and concerns as sites are developed, and a commitment to sites that add to the places they're built in rather than sit apart from them.
We engage with local authorities, elected representatives, businesses and communities as our proposals develop. At Sheffield, this included briefing the ward councillor before submission, pre-application discussions with Sheffield City Council and refining the design, landscaping and layout in response to feedback.
The planning permission includes requirements covering highways, sustainable transport, biodiversity and inclusive access. These include agreed upgrades to the Blackburn Valley Trail connection, inclusive access and facilities for disabled people, and assessment of whether mitigation at M1 Junction 35 is required before the later phase becomes operational.
Local economic impact
New energy infrastructure means new jobs, new skills, and new investment in the regions we build in. Our Sheffield M1 J35 site is located in Smithywood Business Park, on a former colliery site in South Yorkshire. It is a first example: construction activity, ongoing site operations, and a hub that's built to serve local hauliers and SMEs on the same terms as national fleets, not just the largest operators.
Lichfields estimates that the Sheffield hub will support around £15.6 million of capital investment, up to 325 direct and indirect jobs during construction, and approximately £28.8 million in economic output during the construction period.
Once operational, the hub is forecast to support around 10 direct jobs and almost £0.5 million in annual GVA, with employment expected to grow as the hub and wider network develop. It is also forecast to generate almost £100,000 a year in business-rate revenue for Sheffield City Council.
These are forecasts prepared by Lichfields ahead of completion and are specific to the Sheffield development.
We believe clean energy hubs will form the backbone of a new, decarbonised network of freight corridors across the UK.
Building that infrastructure presents a unique opportunity to have an outsized impact on UK emissions – now, and for decades to come. That is why we started Aegis Energy.
We welcome scrutiny of our proposals and the evidence behind them. If you would like to discuss a hub near you, arrange a briefing or ask about any figure on this page, please get in touch.
