Expect Distribution has taken on its first two fully electric HGVs as part of the eFreight 2030 consortium.
The Renault Trucks E-Tech T 4x2 tractor unit with sleeper cab and a Renault Trucks E-Tech D Wide rigid with curtainsider body are the first electric trucks to join Expect’s fleet of more than 100 HGVs.
Both vehicles are based at its Woodlands distribution hub in Bradford, where two 240kW chargers have also been installed by Voltempo.
The company said one of the HGVs would be used to trunk to the Palletline hub in Birmingham each day and the other would be deployed on store deliveries for customer cardfactory.
Andy Taylor, Expect Distribution operations director, said: “These are the very first electric trucks to join our fleet and we see this as the start of our electrification journey.
“The eFreight 2030 project has given us the opportunity to invest in technology that not only reduces our carbon emissions but also to prove that sustainability in logistics can be achieved without unsustainable cost increases.”
Michael Boxwell, chief executive at Voltempo said the trucks would provide valuable real-world data and insights into how eHGVs could operate efficiently in everyday logistics:
“The more companies that take this step, the faster we can accelerate the industry’s transition to zero-emission road freight,” he added.
Led by Voltempo, the eFreight 2030 consortium is one of four UK government-funded demonstrator projects under the Zero Emission HGV and Infrastructure Demonstrator (ZEHID) programme, which aims to kickstart the uptake of zero emission lorries.
Earlier this month, Expect Distribution announced the acquisition of fellow Yorkshire firm Longs of Leeds.
