Warburtons, the UK’s largest bakery brand, is rolling out its first 16 tonne 100% electric truck, a Renault Trucks D Z.E.
The vehicle, striking in Warburtons orange livery and proudly stating ‘Our electric trucks are the best thing since sliced bread’, joins the company’s secondary bread fleet operating out of its Enfield bakery. The D Z.E., which can cover up to 150km on a single charge, can carry around six tonnes of bread and bakery products to multiple locations across London.
Fully electric, the D Z.E. is eligible to operate in the capital’s Ultra Low Emission Zone and Congestion Charge Zone without incurring charges, while its zero tailpipe emissions in use and low traffic noise make it ideal for Warburtons urban deliveries.
Steven Gray, Warburtons National Transport Manager, says: “As our first 16 tonne electric truck goes on the road, we mark another important milestone in our sustainable fleet management. By using the Renault Trucks D Z.E. we offer our customers the same quality of service but with zero tailpipe emissions and quieter operation in urban environments.”
Carlos Rodrigues, Managing Director, Renault Trucks UK & Ireland, says: “The Renault Trucks D Z.E. answers today’s pressing need to improve air quality and reduce noise pollution in our cities. We are delighted that Warburtons has selected the D Z.E. to deliver even more sustainably for its customers, and that this first vehicle will confidently provide this service for the next ten years.”
Warburtons first D Z.E. is a 4×2 rigid featuring box body with rear side door and tail lift by PPS Commercials. Powered by 200kWh, 600 V lithium-ion batteries, the Alternating Current synchronous motor with permanent-magnet technology delivers maximum power of 185 kW, continuous power of 130 kW and maximum torque of 425 Nm. The Z.E. reduction gearbox offers two forward speeds and one reverse.
The D Z.E., which will recharge at Warburtons Enfield site, is equipped with a 22kW on board AC charger and is compatible with DC fast charging up to 150kW.
The vehicle comes with Renault Trucks Battery Performance Promise which guarantees that the battery will operate for up to 10 years or deliver 250 MW of energy over the vehicle’s life. Renault Trucks engineers have taken Warburtons operational data for a number of Enfield-based routes and mapped this against a real world, real time traffic database derived from over 1 million miles of vehicle telematics data. Their calculation of the total energy consumption of the vehicle means it will operate for a ten year period without using more than 250 MW of energy, and this is the contract duration for the first Warburtons D ZE vehicle.
Supplied by Renault Trucks dealer, JDS Trucks & Vans, aftersales support for the D Z.E., which is Renault Trucks’ first production electric truck to go on the road in the UK, will be provided by local dealer Norfolk Truck & Van Enfield throughout the ten-year contract.
