Led by Professor David Cebon and the Center for Sustainable Road Transport (SRF), the JOLT Project brings together two universities, 15 fleet operators and five truck manufacturers, as well as three organizations offering project management and software support. It aims to investigate the factors that affect the performance of electric heavy vehicles, including battery efficiency and vehicle range.
A key finding of the project is that operators could save around £0.21/km in fuel costs by switching from diesel trucks to electric trucks (based on current fuel prices). The tests also helped shippers identify which routes and payloads are suitable for BEVs.
Following their participation in JOLT, DP World, Howard Tenens and Port Express will now purchase new vehicles following these trials, allowing them to evaluate range, payload capacity and running costs on their own routes. DP World’s logistics division is making the largest investment: it has acquired two MAN eTGX electric tractor units and has ordered eight more. The vehicles will join three electric trucks already operating from its Bicester depot. Once the ten new trucks are in service, electric vehicles will account for 13 of the site’s fleet of 37. Of the 11 destinations served from Bicester, seven are within range of MAN trucks.
Howard Tenens also selected MAN vehicles and ordered an eTGX tractor unit and an eTGS rigid truck. The company plans to use its own renewable energy generation to power the vehicles and further improve the cost advantage over diesel. Meanwhile, Felixstowe-based Port Express has agreed a two-year lease for a Volvo FH electric tractor. It will operate on a regular haul route to Milton Keynes for retail customers looking to reduce their Scope 3 emissions. The company said it was introduced to electric trucks through Project JOLT, as well as DP World’s Low Carbon Truck Programme. CEO James Watts said: “Thanks to Project JOLT, we dispelled any misconceptions about electric trucks. It was then a matter of fitting a vehicle to our regular routes.”
These latest commitments build on DP World’s wider efforts to help UK hauliers trial electric trucks. In June, the port operator expanded its program with the Electric Vehicle Introduction and Transition Accelerator (EVITA), offering participating companies access to electric heavy vehicles for periods of up to 12 weeks. At the time, it said it hoped this would “help members understand how electric heavy-duty vehicles perform on their own routes and supply chains compared to traditional diesel trucks.”
Fleetnews.co.uk, Commercialmotor.com, Greenfleet.net
