Tarmac is trialling an all-electric tipper truck in Walsall, West Midlands in partnership with body builder Brit-Tipp and electric vehicle manufacturer Tevva, which collapsed into administration on 7 June after failing to secure new funding.

News of Tarmac’s Tevva tipper trial closely follows an announcement by Tevva’s administrators on 10 June that they are in talks with a potential purchaser, which could see a deal sealed within weeks.

Tarmac began development of the electric tipper truck in 2022 as it looked to source alternatively fuelled HGV vehicles. 

As a result of this collaboration, Brit-Tipp have successfully secured type approval for all their bodies on the Tevva chassis, significantly speeding up the vehicle registration process. 

The trial is part of Tarmac’s commitment to reach a 30% absolute reduction in emissions by 2030 from a 2021 baseline, decarbonising operational equipment and plant is part of the company’s road map to net zero.

The 7.5-tonne Tevva electric tipper truck is expected to save over 2.2 tonnes of CO₂ per month, compared to a diesel model the same size, assuming a use cycle of 80 miles a day (2,500 miles a month) and a consumption of 1.31kw/hour.

Tarmac was an early signatory of the EV100 initiative, committing that all cars and vans in its fleet would be zero emission by 2030. The EV tipper represents the latest part of this commitment, having last year brought the UK’s first all-electric battery readymix concrete truck into operation as well as the world’s first electric bond coat sprayer. 

The EV tipper truck is being trialled by Tarmac for a period of eight weeks. During this period, the business will evaluate the vehicle’s performance in practical operation as well as its range when loaded to assess how the benefits of the technology can be maximised going forward.  

Jonathan Medforth, national plant & transport manager at Tarmac said: “This project represents a key milestone towards reaching our sustainability goals and underscores our commitment to reducing the environmental impact of our operations including our road transport fleet. 

“We previously trialled an EV tipper in 2013, but its range and payload was limiting due to the availability of technology at the time. More than a decade on it’s exciting to see the new innovations that are making these vehicles viable. 

“It’s great to be working with Tevva on this initiative. Not only is the tipper truck a zero emissions vehicle, but it’s also practical and a lot quieter than a diesel alternative which is another great benefit for our drivers, customers and the communities we work in.” 

Kay Jarvis, Tevva business operations director, said: “It is enormously exciting to hand over this Tevva Tipper, which is the first of its kind, to Tarmac. This vehicle is our first collaboration in the Utilities, Construction and Infrastructure sector – a sector that we have prioritised and are thrilled to work with pioneering organisations like Tarmac. 

“The combination of Tarmac, Tevva and Brit-Tipp serves as the foundation for Tevva becoming the go-to brand for 7.5t BEV Tippers. I look forward to continuing to engage with the team on the ground at Tarmac to ensure that their electrification journey is a smooth and enjoyable zero emission experience.” 

Tevva Motors fell into administration after failing to secure new funding, appointing Lee Manning, Cameron Gunn, and Ben Woodthorpe of ReSolve Advisory as joint administrators on 7 June.

Just days later the administrators announced the company could be sold within weeks to a “potential purchaser”. The administrators said they were ”working closely with Tevva’s management and are in discussions with a potential purchaser to acquire the business, with a view to completing a transaction in the coming weeks”.

They added: ”We will endeavour to maintain all operations as usual in this interim period and we are committed to finding the best possible outcome for Tevva Motors, its employees, creditors and all stakeholders.

Tarmac was one of a number of blue chip companies working with Tevva, before its collapse, including Royal Mail and Travis Perkins. 

A request by MT for comment from the administrators and from Tarmac has yet to receive a response.

 

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