Four electric traffic officer vehicles are heading for Britain’s motorways

National Highways is trialling four electric Hyundai IONIQ 9 SUVs as Traffic Officer vehicles, testing how the large EV performs in frontline operations across England’s motorways and major A-roads.

Four electric SUVs are now being put to work in one of the more demanding parts of the highways fleet.

National Highways has taken delivery of four Hyundai IONIQ 9s for a trial that will assess their suitability for Traffic Officer duties on England’s strategic road network.

In brief:

• National Highways has taken delivery of four all-electric Hyundai IONIQ 9 SUVs for the trial.
• Hyundai Motor UK supplied the vehicles, which have been converted to full Traffic Officer specification.
• The trial will assess operational suitability, equipment integration and charging performance.
• National Highways is working towards making its Traffic Officer fleet fully electric by 2030.

Why National Highways is trialling electric traffic officer vehicles

Traffic Officers are often among the first National Highways personnel to arrive at incidents on the motorway and major road network. They create safe working areas, manage traffic, clear obstructions and spills, help remove broken-down vehicles and support the police and other emergency services during serious incidents.

That makes the choice of vehicle more than a straightforward fleet replacement exercise. The vehicle has to accommodate the equipment required by Traffic Officers while supporting the day-to-day demands of frontline incident response.

The four Hyundai IONIQ 9s have been converted by Richell Vehicle Conversions, with National Highways livery, high-visibility markings, emergency lighting and the onboard equipment used by Traffic Officers.

The conversion also includes a separate 240Ah lithium auxiliary battery system for the emergency warning equipment, along with a lightbar, bullhorn, additional warning lights and a flip-up matrix board for incident messaging. Richell has also installed a load-carrying system for equipment including radio, telematics and CCTV systems.

The trial will assess how the vehicles perform in operational use, including their suitability for equipment integration and charging performance. The IONIQ 9 has a 110.3kWh battery and a quoted WLTP range of up to 385 miles in its standard passenger configuration, while its 800V electrical architecture supports charging at up to 233kW.

For a frontline highways fleet, those characteristics matter because the vehicle needs to accommodate operational equipment as well as provide the range and charging capability required for its intended use. The trial will provide National Highways with practical information on how the vehicle performs in that environment.

The organisation has a target of making its Traffic Officer vehicles 100% electric by 2030, after previously identifying the availability of suitable vehicles as one of the factors affecting the pace of the transition.

National Highways has already been trialling electric Traffic Officer vehicles as part of that process. Its fleet work has also included looking at charging provision at Traffic Officer outstations, highlighting that the move to electric vehicles involves infrastructure as well as the vehicles themselves.

That gives the IONIQ 9 trial a clear practical purpose. It is not simply a case of putting an electric SUV into National Highways colours. The organisation needs to establish whether the vehicle can accommodate the equipment and operational requirements of Traffic Officers while providing suitable charging performance.

The trial comes as National Highways continues to explore how its operational fleet can move towards lower-emission vehicles. Previous work on electric fleet vehicles has already shown that the transition involves more than simply replacing one vehicle with another.

The wider highways implications are particularly relevant when operational vehicles are involved. Traffic Officer vehicles are deployed where incidents can disrupt the network, including situations where motorway closures can create significant operational challenges. Ensuring the vehicles supporting those operations are suitable for the job is therefore an important part of any fleet transition.

Hyundai Motor UK has supplied the four vehicles for the trial. Subject to its outcome, National Highways is considering further purchases during 2026.

For the highways sector, the interesting part is therefore the trial itself rather than any suggestion that the transition is already complete. National Highways has set out where it wants its Traffic Officer fleet to go, and trials such as this provide an opportunity to test which vehicles can realistically support that frontline role.

The four IONIQ 9s are now part of that assessment. What happens next will depend on how the vehicles perform in the job they have actually been converted to do.