Banbury based electric truck company ARRIVAL is supplying UPS with a test fleet of 35 electric trucks that will be tested on the streets of London and Paris.
The new test fleet of ARRIVAL trucks are to have a range of more than 240km that UPS says is “significantly higher than other EVs currently in service,” and are equipped with Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS).
Luke Wake, international director for automotive engineering in the advanced technology group at UPS, commented: “UPS is working with ARRIVAL here in the UK because their smart electric vehicles are helping to reduce dependency on fossil fuel. This is a pioneering collaboration that helps UPS develop new ways to reduce our emissions.
“UPS is marshaling its global scale to encourage innovation within the automotive industry. We are helping to drive demand for these disruptive technologies. The result is a safer and cleaner fleet for the communities in which we deliver.”
Peter Harris, director for sustainability at UPS Europe, added: “This initiative will help UPS attain its global carbon reduction goals for the company’s facilities and fleets.
“We will continue working with our partners, communities and customers to spark innovation, thus leading the industry toward a more sustainable future.”
UPS works with a number of bike and truck manufacturers worldwide. However, ARRIVAL is the first commercial vehicle company in Europe to build purpose built electric delivery vehicles for the logistics company. UPS has been working with ARRIVAL since 2016 on prototypes for different sized vans and trucks. The first of these are set to hit the road before the end of 2018.
Denis Sverdlov, CEO of ARRIVAL, commented: “We’re excited to collaborate with UPS to create an affordable, modular, fully electric delivery vehicle designed to make deliveries in our busy cities clean and quiet,” said “With its unique, wrap-around front window the driver has a much wider field of view that improves not only the safety of the driver but also that of cyclists and pedestrians.”
