Nearly five years ago, the U.K.?s postal authority, the Royal Mail, issued stamps commemorating a British cultural staple: Doctor Who. And now the Royal Mail is putting into test service an all-electric truck design that could just as well be a prop for that beloved show, perhaps in a London street scene decades in the future.
Produced by the U.K.-based commercial-vehicle maker Arrival (formerly called Charge Auto), these extra-tall trucks have retro-style double-decker bus or vanlike bodywork that is actually futuristic in that it is built of ?revolutionary ultralightweight composite materials? to minimize mass. Arrival, which boasts of the vehicles’ custom-built hardware, motors, and power electronics, wouldn?t release precise specifications for the trucks being tested but did say the truck batteries are optimized for inner-city deliveries?and for a driving range of up to 100 miles.
The trucks are being used on a trial basis for mail collection and package transit between distribution centers. All of them will operate out of the Royal Mail?s Mount Pleasant depot in central London. The first trucks going into service have a 13,200-pound weight rating, while three trucks with a 7700-pound rating and three others that can carry 16,500 pounds will be delivered later.
Half the Cost to Run
Arrival says these trucks are priced the same as equivalent diesel models. Denis Sverdlov, Arrival?s CEO, called the entry price the main barrier to users making the transition to E...