13 October, 2021

Miralis secures funding for on-the-move HGV charging

Posted on 13 October, 20217 August, 2025 by Keith McKinley

Miralis Data, a transport-focused software and data science company, has joined forces with a consortium on a £1.1m project to explore on-the-move charging for HGVs.

Miralis has partnered with Honda R&D Europe (UK), Honda Japan, TRL and Galliford Try on a project funded by the Department of Transport and managed by Innovate UK, as part of a wider initiative to decarbonise transport in the UK.

Addressing the government’s plans to ban the sale of fossil fuel heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) by 2040, the Electro Road project offers an in-depth feasibility study into an electric road system that would enable larger vehicles to charge whilst travelling.

To date there has been zero transitioning of HGVs to electric in the logistics industry due to a lack of suitable vehicle and charging options.

Electrifying HGVs poses unique challenges. Given the typical range required of larger goods vehicles, a large capacity battery would be required to cover the distances. Adding heavier batteries to vehicles that can already be up to 44 tonnes, will diminish the vehicle’s efficiency. So larger vehicles will need a way to recharge their batteries on the go.

Electro Road focuses on cutting-edge, state-of-the-art research carried out by Honda Japan. The company has developed conductive technology which has been shown to charge smaller vehicles effectively – this latest project will discover how this technology can be applied to HGVs and how best it can be deployed across the UK’s major highways.

Dr Will Maden, Research Director at Miralis, explains more: “This really could be a game-changing project in the race to decarbonise transport in the UK. Logistics firms know they need to planning for their EV transition but with no viable options currently on the table, the race is on to find a solution that will drastically reduce emissions in the industry.

Reducing emissions in transport and logistics is at the very top of our agenda, and at the heart of everything we do at Miralis, so to be partnering with companies at the forefront of electric road system technology is very exciting for us. We’re delighted to be working together and keen to see what can be achieved in the coming months.”

The project will run for 9 months, with a report expected in Spring 2022.

Milestone partnership enhances supply chain visibility

Posted on 13 October, 2021 by Keith McKinley

A sensor-driven supply chain visibility leader, Roambee, and a leading digital freight platform, Transporeon, have announced a partnership that aims to bring the best of both worlds in real-time transport visibility: carrier telematics visibility through Sixfold and high-fidelity, real-time multimodal shipment visibility and intelligence via Roambee’s platform.

“Roambee and Transporeon joining forces denotes unified access to two major and unique global supply chain visibility platforms for customers across industries,” said Sanjay Sharma, CEO, Roambee. “Roambee’s sensor-driven visibility will enrich Sixfold’s telematics data with multimodal location accuracy and offer condition visibility, so customers can more actionably address supply chain risk around spoilage, damage, theft, missed connections, and more. The partnership’s substantial joint data set results in end-to-end, item-level visibility, globally, with 100% coverage of lanes and shipments regardless of the transporter or load size.”

Transporeon currently tracks approximately 20 million transports annually. Fast-moving goods such as food or electronics, slow-moving consumer goods including white ware/consumer durables, automotive, chemicals, and big logistics organisations are some of the industries that seek both telematics and sensor-driven visibility. Customers of all sizes across industries and across all modes of transportation (air, ocean, rail, road, and parcel) can now determine the level of visibility they need for specific shipments, then access it via one portal that integrates both companies’ capabilities.

“Whether a customer wants to track sensitive parcels from India to the U.S. or commodities going through Russia, this partnership can enable them to profit from the insights provided by one joint solution,” said Stephan Sieber, CEO Transporeon. “Our goal is to strengthen the native visibility network that is represented by Sixfold. We are developing solutions to the world’s top supply chain challenges by seeking out the strongest, most aligned partners possible. No single company delivers the best of both worlds – but this partnership does.”

Cutting-edge Verona logistics park gets funding

Posted on 13 October, 2021 by Keith McKinley

International real estate firm Hines has finalised a major investment in a new state-of-the-art logistics project in Verona, Italy as part of a joint venture with a major international private equity player. At completion, the project is expected to require an investment of up to €300m via the Vicus I fund managed by Prelios SGR.

The logistics park in Vigasio, in the province of Verona, will be developed over two phases; the first, requiring an investment of €120m, will lead to the construction of four buildings over an area of 200,000 sq m by 2023. The second, will involve a further investment of up to €180m. Upon construction completion, the site will seek LEED Gold certification, in accordance with the highest international environmental sustainability and energy efficiency criteria.

The Vigasio area is home to many major international companies and represents a strategic hub connecting Italy and Northern Europe (Germany and Austria) along the A22 Autostrada del Brennero, carving itself out as an ideal logistics hub. In the coming years, an additional motorway exit is scheduled to open in front of the Vigasio logistics park further maximising transportation access and efficiency.

The transaction is part of Hines’ broader logistics strategy throughout Europe to deliver first-class buildings and services for logistics customers. In Italy, the firm has developed a platform of over 380,000 sq m, which, in addition to the Vigasio logistics hub, includes the investments made in Bologna in the Castel San Pietro area, and in Northern Italy with three properties in Tortona, Brescia and Montichiari. In light of the transactions year to date, Hines is on track to deploy €1bn of capital in the logistics sector in Italy by the end of 2022.

The logistics market continues to represent an asset class of great interest for Hines due to multiple factors including strong growth in demand, e-commerce development trends, a vacancy rate standing at just 2.1% in Italy along with attractive rates of return. Additionally, logistics in the North East of Italy continues to grow in importance and an increasing number of multinational tenants are choosing this location which currently covers 15% of the total square metres leased nationwide.

Mario Abbadessa, Senior Managing Director & Country Head of Hines in Italy, says: “We have great interest in the industrial and logistics asset class and aim to become a statement player in Italy in this fascinating sector. Our target is to invest €1bn in industrial and logistics by the end of 2022 and our investment philosophy is underpinned by innovation.

“With this transaction we are further expanding our logistics platform in the North East area, and over the coming months we will continue to focus on both logistics parks and last-mile logistics across the main Italian cities.”

Partnership aims to transform marine cargo insurance

Posted on 13 October, 2021 by Keith McKinley

Redkik, a global software company with the mission to simplify and improve the marine cargo insurance industry with technology, and Roanoke Insurance Group Inc., a leading transportation-related insurance broker, have announced a strategic partnership they say will be ground-breaking for all parties within transportation and logistics in the US.

By partnering together, the companies are offering on-demand, per-shipment insurance with instantaneous premium quotations at the time of freight being booked, together with dynamic pricing and policies tailored for customers’ specifics needs.

“Insurance for shipping is still determined the same way as 30 years ago, with little to no automation, and outdated IT solutions,” says Chris Kalinski, Founder and Chairperson of Redkik. “This results in low efficiency, double-keying, high overhead costs, and complexity for every party within the supply chain. Our mission is to bring intelligence to insurance and make it simple to secure goods and loads.

“Most annual policies are based upon 12-month forecasts and the policyholder has to pay the premium upfront. Redkik’s technology coupled with Roanoke’s insurance placement offering facilitates change to the old structure, and we are excited to present this ground-breaking, collaborative solution to the transportation industry.”

”Redkik’s technology provides intelligent API communication between transportation management systems and Roanoke’s cargo solutions,” adds Karen Groff, President of Roanoke. “It is a pleasure to work with inventor and innovator Chris Kalinski and his team.”

The new solution will be immediately available in the US market. The company will be launching in the European market and the rest of the world by the end of 2021.

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