Parcel delivery company DPD has signed a deal with MAN Truck & Bus UK for 100 eTGE electric vans, bringing its total UK electrical fleet to 600 vehicles.
The 3.5-ton van had not been widely available in electric version until now, but DPD will take the first 100 eTGEs when they roll off the production line from June 2020.
The eTGE has a load capacity of 10.7m3 and a range of 65-70 miles.
The 36kW lithium-ion battery can be fully charged in just over five hours or rapidly charged to 80% in 45 minutes.
The MAN order is part of DPD’s sustainability drive, having opened the UK’s first all-electric depot in Westminster in October 2018, and launched the e-cargo bike, the EAV P1, in November 2019.
In January, DPD confirmed it would take delivery of 300 electric Nissan e-NV200 vans by May 2020.
DPD chief executive Dwain McDonald said, “The 3.5-ton van is absolutely core to our delivery and collection fleet strategy, so this is a big deal for us. It gives us huge efficiencies on the road in terms of route densities, but we’ve had to wait a long time for the first electric right-hand-drive 3.5-ton vans.”
He added he would like other manufacturers to produce right-hand-drive electric vehicles, saying: “It isn’t just us demanding them, our retail customers have responded very positively to our new EV fleet and they want to be telling their customers about their green deliveries too. We are designing new ways of working to incorporate these vehicles into our operation, so they are transforming our business as well as contributing to cleaner air and less congestion.”
Thomas Hemmerich, managing director of MAN Truck & Bus UK, said, “MAN Truck & Bus UK is delighted to have received an order of the first 100 eTGE right-hand-drive units before the official UK Launch at the Birmingham CV Show this year, from our strategic partner DPD. We are thrilled to be leading the electric transformation of the UK 3.5-ton van market. With our eTGE van we are responding to the high customer demand and interest for these vehicles from the UK market.”