Transport body opens market engagement on motorway EV charging
Early notice outlines plans to upgrade grid capacity at motorway service areas, laying foundations for higher-volume electric vehicle charging.
Early notice outlines plans to upgrade grid capacity at motorway service areas, laying foundations for higher-volume electric vehicle charging.
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National Highways has signalled a new Strategic Charging Infrastructure Scheme with the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles, aiming to boost electricity network capacity at motorway service areas in England so they can cope with rising demand for electric vehicle charging.
Published on 28th September 2026, the Prior Information Notice outlines collaboration between National Highways and the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles to "enhance electricity network capacity at select motorway service areas in England to support the growing demand for electric vehicle charging infrastructure". There are no further technical details at this stage, but the focus on network capacity, rather than simply on additional charge points, marks the scheme out from many other current procurements.
The notice explicitly links the capacity upgrades to "the growing demand for electric vehicle charging infrastructure", making clear that anticipated usage at these locations is already shaping network decisions. Motorway service areas serve high volumes of traffic and often host the fastest chargers on the network, so any constraints on electricity supply can quickly limit what can be delivered on the ground.
As a Prior Information Notice, this is an early signal rather than a full tender. It does not yet set out how many sites will be covered, what scale of capacity increase is envisaged, how works will be phased, or which delivery and commercial models are being considered. Those details will determine whether the opportunity favours grid connection specialists, charge point operators, wider infrastructure consortia, or a mixture of all three.
What is clear is that National Highways is looking beyond isolated charging projects to the underlying power required to make them work. That approach mirrors a wider shift in electric vehicle infrastructure procurement, where questions of grid readiness and energy management are moving up the agenda.
In June 2026, Canada’s Department of Natural Resources launched the EV Charging Infrastructure Assessment, seeking offers to carry out a national review of charging needs. That work is framed explicitly around policy shifts, market changes, technology trends and regional grid readiness. While it is an analytical exercise rather than construction, it underlines how power system capacity is now seen as integral to charging rollout.
A similar emphasis appears in a contract notice from Switzerland’s roads authority. In August 2026, Bundesamt für Strassen ASTRA set out plans to expand the electrification infrastructure at its Thal depot, including a new transformer station, installation of charging stations and integration into existing energy management systems. The project makes clear that upgrading supply and control systems is as important as installing the visible hardware.
Back in Britain, energy networks themselves are entering the EV infrastructure market in a more direct way. On 28th September 2026, National Grid UK issued a contract notice for comprehensive EV charging infrastructure. The scope spans supply, design, installation, commissioning and maintenance, alongside a back-office system for managing connectivity and payments. Although the locations differ from motorway service areas, the notice underlines how the line between traditional network operator and charging provider is starting to blur.
On continental motorways, the focus is turning to heavy traffic and freight. In September 2026, Germany’s federal motorway company, Die Autobahn GmbH des Bundes, published a Prior Information Notice on a fast charging network for electric trucks at managed motorway service areas along federal highways. The contracts cover planning, construction and operation, and stress timely commissioning, non-discriminatory access and close coordination with service-area operators. The parallels with the National Highways scheme are striking, even if the British notice has yet to spell out whether it will place particular emphasis on heavy vehicles.
Fleet operators are also driving demand for tailored charging solutions. In April 2026, Transport for London issued a Prior Information Notice for around 400 electric vehicle charge points to support its transition to a net zero vehicle fleet by 2030, using a questionnaire to gather market insights before fixing its procurement strategy. The Defence Infrastructure Organisation took a similar staged approach in June 2026, flagging upcoming main works for EV charging infrastructure across various defence sites while reserving the detail for later documents.
Taken together, these projects show how different public bodies are tailoring EV infrastructure to their specific assets: long-distance corridors, depots, fleets and local bus routes. The National Highways scheme adds a distinct focus on motorway service areas and the electricity networks that underpin them.
At local government level, EV infrastructure procurement remains driven by coverage, accessibility and equity. Many authorities are drawing on the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) fund to target residents without driveways or easy access to home charging.
Other councils are using pre-market engagement to test delivery models and commercial appetite. Staffordshire County Council is exploring options for installing and maintaining charge points in public car parks. Haringey Council is sounding out market innovations that could meet future demand. The North East Combined Authority is consulting on procurement approaches for the first phase of its LEVI-funded rollout, while Milton Keynes City Council has returned to the market to discuss expanding its ChargeHubs network after an earlier procurement had to be terminated due to non-compliant bids.
Within this crowded landscape, the National Highways scheme occupies a distinct niche. While councils focus on kerbside, car park and destination charging, the strategic road authority is looking at the bulk power required at motorway service areas, where drivers expect fast and reliable charging to be available at scale.
The Strategic Charging Infrastructure Scheme notice is brief, and many of the details that matter to potential bidders are still to come. There is no information yet on budget, procurement route, contract structure or delivery timetable. Nor is it clear how responsibilities will be shared between National Highways, the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles, electricity network operators and service-area landlords.
However, the decision to flag electricity network capacity at motorway service areas now, alongside a growing volume of tenders for local charging, fleet depots and national networks, suggests that governments and infrastructure owners see EV charging as a genuinely system-wide issue. Planning for grid readiness on the strategic road network could make it easier to layer on future waves of rapid and ultra-rapid charging as technology, vehicle ranges and usage patterns continue to evolve.
For suppliers and investors, the next set of documents from National Highways will be crucial. They should reveal whether the scheme is broken into regional lots, how risk is allocated between parties, and whether the programme will be aligned with other initiatives such as LEVI-funded local roll-outs or energy network investment plans. Until then, the Prior Information Notice serves as a clear signal that the power behind motorway charging is moving up the list of public procurement priorities.
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