Wednesday, November 13, 2024
Electric VehiclesLatestNews

Vertellus adds 10 fully-electric refrigerated trucks  

Commercial vehicle contract hire firm Vertellus has added 10 fully electric refrigerated trucks to its EV Discovery Programme.

The scheme, one the the UK’s first BEV Equipment as a Service, aims to make EV trials affordable and accessible for operators in temperature-controlled transport.   

The ten new 18-tonne Renault Trucks E-Tech D Wide rigids have 1.5 tonne Dhollandia tail lifts and temperature-controlled Slipstream bodies by Solomon Commercials – mounted with engineless Carrier Transicold Iceland 11 Multi-Temperature (MT) systems and the company’s Power Box unit, which delivers zero emissions in use.  

The new trucks are available nationwide, offering operators an all-inclusive solution to hire a ready-to-work EV on a three-month term, delivered with DC charger installed at the vehicle’s operating base, alongside maintenance and support.  

From an operational perspective, the Carrier Transicold system achieves more than 95% efficiency when converting energy from the electric driveline to power the refrigeration system, with the complete setup ensuring rapid temperature pull-down capability and PIEK-compliant performance. 

Ian Seager, Vertellus sales and business director, said:

“We are on a mission to de-risk EV trials, and these latest vehicles are a significant investment in our fleet that gives operators in the cold chain the opportunity to trial a zero-emission vehicle affordably, at a fraction of the cost of purchasing an electric vehicle, whilst putting the vehicle to work.”  

“Our EV Discovery programme enables businesses to understand how electric vehicles can work in their fleet and plan their move to a sustainable and greener fleet.  By working with leading partners such as Solomon and Carrier Transicold, we ensure all our customers experience the very best when they test the potential of electric vehicles in their logistics network.” 

Scott Dargan, Managing Director UK & Northern Europe, Carrier Transicold, said:

“The integration of our Iceland 11 MT and Power Box systems into Vertellus’ new electric fleet represents a significant milestone in sustainable logistics.

“Our electric technology ensures maximum efficiency and reliability, coupled with a low weight, low noise PIEK certified temperature-controlled solution. We’re excited to support Vertellus in making EV trials more accessible and demonstrating the viability of zero tailpipe emissions across the cold chain sector.” 

Colin Carter, sales manager at Solomon Commercials, said:

“As a business, we are increasingly seeing our customers look for vehicles that can deliver products from A to B in perfect condition, while looking to minimise their environmental impact. 

“EVs will ultimately be a staple addition to any fleet, and we’ve developed several different specifications of bodywork to accommodate a broad marketplace. It’s a project that we’re proud to have been involved with.” 

Image courtesy of Vertellus

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