Tevva is to offer its UK-built range-extended electric truck on a seven year full repair and maintenance lease package.

It will also give operators demonstrators for three to six months from June next year to prove the vehicle will cut their total cost of operation.

Speaking at the FTA’s inaugural Future Logistics conference and exhibition in Warwick this week, Tevva sales and marketing director David Thackray said a seven year lease on a 10-tonne GVW Tevva would cost £1,900 per month.

This compares with £1,450 for a diesel vehicle based on 300,000 miles over seven years.

However, he added that the range extender would save £600 a month on fuel as well as being exempt from London's Congestion Charge.

“If you do 100 miles a day, it will save you money,” he pledged. Tevva does away with the range anxiety of full electric vehicles by fitting a 1.5 litre Euro-6 petrol or diesel engine that powers a generator to recharge the 74kWh batteries on the move.

Read more

Unlike diesel electric hybrids, the 120kW electric motor always turns the drive wheels, keeping the system simple and reliable, and enabling up to 100 miles of full electric zero-emissions operation before the engine automatically starts to recharge the batteries. With the largest 75 litre fuel tank, total range can be up to 370 miles.

The vehicle uses advanced software linked to its GPS and route planning system to ensure the battery is fully charged before entering a clean air or low emission zone to enable it to run with zero emissions within the zone.

The Tevva is designed as a plug-in and can be recharged using either a single or three phase supply, so on low mileage applications the generator should never be needed.

The demo vehicles will be 7.5- to 12.5-tonne GVW and fitted with either ambient or temperature-controlled bodies.