Diesel vehicles could disappear from roads as businesses pay 30% more than electric fleets. New data shows that businesses are spending around 33 per cent of their total operating costs on diesel for their fleets. In comparison, electric fleets spend just three per cent of total operating costs on electricity to power their vehicles, according to Voltempo.
Simon Smith, CEO of Voltempo, said: "British haulage has always been one fuel crisis away from a margin squeeze. That exposure doesn't have to be structural. The charging infrastructure is here. The economics are clear. And increasingly, the electric fleet isn't just a cost decision. It's a commercial one. Customers are choosing hauliers who have made the switch."
The expert added: "Welch's is investing across the fleet; electric, HVO, strong partnerships, innovation and programmes like eFreight 2030- and that's what's bringing them through the door. Voltempo's network is a critical piece of why this works: no haulier can build national charging coverage alone, and that is how we will take the electric fleet from just winning the TCO modelling on local work, to national."
Voltempo is developing an autonomous rigid truck without a cab that could significantly increase payload capacity while reducing vehicle weight and improving operational efficiency. The concept vehicle extends the length of a standard rigid lorry from 12 metres to 15.6 metres, increasing gross vehicle weight capacity from 32 tonnes to 42 tonnes. By removing the traditional cab and redesigning the vehicle as a highly efficient “box on wheels”, the consortium says it believes it can create a new generation of zero-emission freight vehicles optimised for autonomous operation. The project forms part of the wider eFreight 2030 initiative, led by Voltempo, which is focused on accelerating the adoption of electric heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) and supporting infrastructure across the UK.
