Scottish Water has successfully concluded a three-month field trial of Tual’s innovative battery-buffered fast charger, a significant step forward for electric vehicle (EV) fleet electrification in grid-constrained remote locations. The high-power DC CCS charger, deployed at the Moffat Water Works, achieved an impressive 100% uptime with no reported faults throughout the trial, providing essential charging capabilities where none previously existed. This reliability enabled Scottish Water engineers to quickly and conveniently charge their EVs, crucial for their mission-critical operations.

Tual’s PowerUp Chargers are specifically engineered to circumvent grid limitations that often render conventional DC charge point installations unfeasible. The system intelligently stores mains power in its integrated lithium-ion battery during off-peak periods, then delivers a high-power charging session when required. During the Scottish Water trial, the unit consistently provided 70kW of power, translating to approximately 200 miles of range in just one hour. This performance marks a substantial improvement over a standard 3kW three-pin socket, which would only yield about 8 miles of range in the same timeframe, making EV adoption a realistic option for remote facilities like Moffat.

The demanding duty cycles and extensive travel distances characteristic of utility company vehicle use present considerable challenges for integrating EVs into fleets without robust on-site charging infrastructure. Tual’s PowerUp technology directly addresses this by ensuring both rapid charging and unwavering reliability. Furthermore, the installation process proved remarkably efficient; the unit at Moffat was commissioned and fully operational merely 34 minutes after its delivery via a HIAB truck, highlighting its deployment readiness.

Phil Clarke, Tual Founder and CEO, expressed satisfaction with the trial's outcome. "We’re delighted that Scottish Water selected us for this field trial, and that the engineers visiting the Moffat site could always rely on our PowerUp technology to charge their EVs, enabling them to continue carrying out their mission-critical work," Clarke stated. He emphasized the broader industry challenge, adding, "Grid constraints must not be allowed to stand in the way of fleet electrification. We’re proud to be playing our part in ensuring that any organisation that wants to make the switch can do so knowing that charging will not be an issue for them."

Paul Wilkinson, EV Transition Technical Specialist at Scottish Water, corroborated the success, noting that the quick installation, fast charging, and absolute reliability transformed EV usage at the Moffat Waste Water Treatment Works. This positive experience has prompted Scottish Water to place an order for additional PowerUp chargers, slated for rollout across its other remote sites. "We’re transitioning our whole fleet to zero-emissions vehicles as part of our strategy to achieve net-zero by 2040, and Tual’s technology is helping us do that by overcoming limitations in the existing charging infrastructure," Mr. Wilkinson affirmed, underscoring the strategic importance of such innovations for large-scale fleet decarbonization efforts.