Parcel delivery company DPD has confirmed it is running road trials of an electric HGV, with the aim of introducing heavy-duty electric trucks to its delivery fleet later this year.
The MAN eTGX, which has a range of up to 800 kilometres (c. 497 miles) and a charging capacity of up to 750 kW, is due to be based at DPD’s Hinckley Hub 4 in Leicestershire. The truck will be assigned to a DPD route for operational testing after a full induction and driver training.
Decarbonising road transport is something DPD has been focused on recently, having converted the majority of its 1,600 HGVs to Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) in 2023.
DPD identifies one of the key challenges with electrifying HGVs, noting that it ‘has operated double-decker trailers for many years, which reduce the number of vehicles on the road by increasing parcel capacity and reducing the accompanying emissions’.
While traditionally more difficult to electrify, DPD says that it is working with manufacturer MAN to ‘develop a configuration capable of pulling double-decker trailers’. The first vehicle that meets these specifications is set to be tested by DPD later in the year.
Aligned with its parent company Geopost, DPD UK has a net zero target of 2040, validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). The company has confirmed that the UK operation is ‘on track with the trajectory required to meet the group target’, having delivered a 47.5% reduction in overall emissions at the end of 2024, when compared to the 2020 benchmark.
Tim Jones, director of marketing, communications and sustainability at DPDgroup UK, commented: “With over a third of our delivery vans now electric and the vast majority of our transport fleet running on HVO, we have made very real progress towards meeting our net-zero targets.
“Electric HGVs have the potential to become a viable solution in the future, and we now believe we can get the configuration we need to maintain our double-decker trailer fleet, which has enabled us to reduce the overall number of HGVs we put on the road for many years.
“HVO is likely to remain the most effective solution in the medium term, delivering a huge emissions reduction. It remains key to our strategy for reaching our near-term target in 2030, but we are keen to work with manufacturers to help develop the electric trucks that can work for us in the real world.”
Stefan Thyssen, managing director of MAN Truck & Bus UK Ltd added: “We are thrilled to have partnered with DPD on their electric HGV road trials. As a manufacturer, we are committed to supporting our customers in decarbonising their road transport operations.
“These trials with our all-electric eTGX tractor not only demonstrate the real-world viability of electric trucks in a high-demand logistics environment but also highlight the significant emissions reductions and sustainability benefits they bring to the industry.”
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