Amazon puts heavy-duty e-trucks made by DAF on UK roads
DAF Trucks, part of the US Group Paccar, has delivered five heavy-duty electric trucks to Amazon UK. The EVs can carry up to 37 tons and join what Amazon calls its “middle mile” delivery fleet. They are also the first e-trucks in their class Amazon is operating in Europe.
In general, the DAF CF Electric has a GCW of 37 tonnes. The 210 kW electric motor draws its power from a 350 kWh (315 kWh effective) battery pack. Charging takes about 75 minutes using a charging station with a capacity of 250 kW.
DAF Trucks’ Director Fleet Sales, Eelco van Veen said, “Thanks to smart planning and fast charging, the CF Electric can clock up to 500 kilometres per day. That is a figure operators really can work with.”
“Amazon is one of the first companies in the world to put electric heavy goods trucks on the road,” said John Boumphrey, Amazon UK Country Manager. He added this was a milestone in becoming net-zero carbon by 2040.
DAF and Amazon did not go into further detail regarding the five trucks delivered.
Amazon en route to decarbonise logistics
Indeed the retailer has been working to decrease carbon emissions across the logistics chain. In Europe, Amazon has relied on local manufacturers so far for smaller vans. The company was reportedly expecting 1,800 electric transporters from Mercedes-Benz Vans for example with deliveries to begin last year. At the time, it was the largest order for electric vehicles from Mercedes to date.
The image is similar in the USA. Most notably, as part of its Climate Pledge, the online retailer holds an order over 10,000 e-vans from Rivian. The US start-up is to start fulfilling the order this year. In the most recent news, Amazon entered into a long-term agreement with Stellantis to help them put thousands of BEV ProMasters on the road in the US every year from 2023.
Amazon and DAF Trucks have not disclosed the order value. It is also open whether DAF delivered charging infrastructure. The company offers a suite of charging stations that it took from the parent company, Paccar. Paccar in turn recently deepened cooperation with ABB to expand the charging solution portfolio as it relies on the latter’s hardware.
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