The first British-designed 7.5-tonne electric truck intended for mass production in the UK has been unveiled by its creator Tevva.
The global electric truck market was valued at $1.15 billion in 2020 and is expected to grow to $14.19 billion by 2027.
The Tevva Truck has been designed to address the immediate industry need to electrify, with the United Kingdom and Europe committed to a target of net zero emissions by 2050 alongside a proposed ban on the sale of all polluting vehicles by 2035.
Offering a range of up to 160 miles (250 km) in pure battery electric vehicle (BEV) form or up to 310 miles (500 km) with its patented range extender technology (REX), which has now been upgraded to use hydrogen fuel cells.
Engineered by a team led by Ken Scott, formerly Engineering Director at both Bentley and Alexander Dennis, and styled by Dale Grewer, former Chief Designer at Jaguar Land Rover, the Tevva Truck will be manufactured in a brand-new facility in the London Thames Freeport area providing close proximity to central London and Europe.
The 11,000m2 manufacturing plant, which is slightly bigger than the area inside an Olympic running track, is set to create an additional 1,000 skilled mechanical, software, engineering, and manufacturing jobs in the next 24 months, adding to the 60 plus jobs already created this year.
This is part of an initiative that has already seen tens of millions of pounds being invested into the UK, with further funding planned, helping to support the economy and propel Britain’s electric vehicle revolution. The facility is initially expected to begin manufacturing 3,000 trucks per annum by 2023.
Asher Bennett, Founder and CEO of Tevva said: “Technology is transforming the commercial vehicle sector at pace, making it safer, greener, and entirely more efficient. But meaningful change is a gradual process, it must happen one step at a time, even if those changes are needed in fast succession. The Tevva Truck provides a natural transition into electrification for fleet managers, providing total peace of mind and a compelling total cost of ownership proposition, with no compromise on range and reliability and minimized compromise on payload.”
For fleet managers concerned about range, the Tevva Truck will offer unique range extension technology with its REX solution available for delivery in 2023. Its compact hydrogen fuel cells recharge the battery on the move, allowing the Tevva Truck with the integrated REX technology to fulfill longer duty cycles and carry heavier loads even further.
Future technical developments already being tested will enable the Tevva Truck to be fully charged in just one hour – facilitating double shift operations, to help reduce the total cost of ownership – all whilst improving pedestrian safety, improving urban air quality, and making significant contributions to the reduction of CO2 emissions.
By removing typical barriers to commercial electric vehicle adoption, such as affordability and range, the Tevva Truck will play a key role in helping the UK meet ambitious policy goals and create a new competitive advantage on the world stage. It is also expected to reduce global CO2 emissions by 10m tonnes by the end of 2030, the equivalent of taking 1 million cars off the road.
The Tevva Truck can carry up to 16 euro pallets and over two tonnes payload at 7.5-tonnes Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW). The total cost of ownership is comparable to a diesel; parity is achieved at approximately 3,000 km or when 500 liters of diesel is consumed per month.
The Tevva Truck is Tevva’s third-generation vehicle, representing the culmination of seven years of engineering development and the learning gathered from over 200,000 miles (350,000 km) of in-fleet trials. Production of the Tevva Truck is due to commence in July 2022 with deliveries in Q3 2023.
