Universal Courier Logistical Services (UCLS) has expanded its electric vehicle fleet with the addition of 33 Renault Trucks E-Tech Master electric panel vans to support a new zero-emission home delivery contract across northern England.
The multimillion-pound investment brings UCLS’s total number of electric vehicles to 48 and forms part of its plan to electrify more than half of its 600-vehicle fleet by 2030. The new vans will operate on final-mile delivery routes serving Newcastle, Manchester, Sheffield and Leeds, as the company seeks to meet growing demand for emissions-free logistics services.
UCLS currently operates about 700 final-mile routes each day and said the electric vans would be deployed without reducing payload or route coverage. Managing Director Ricky Sharma said the company viewed the investment as a strategic move to stay ahead of shifting market expectations. “We want to be ahead of the market. We’re brave, we’re learning, and we’re always exploring more opportunities for electric vehicles. This investment is just the beginning of our decarbonisation journey,” Sharma said.
Supplied by dealer group Allports, the latest-generation E-Tech Master features an 87 kW battery with a WLTP-certified range of more than 285 miles and rapid charging from 15% to 80% in about 30 minutes, Renault Trucks said.
UCLS expects the vehicles to complete full daily shifts on a single overnight charge at depot-based facilities. The vans offer payload capacity of up to 1.5 tonnes and a loading volume of 13.2 cubic metres, allowing them to handle standard Euro pallets.
“For light commercial vehicles like the Renault Trucks E-Tech Master, operators no longer have to compromise between payload, efficiency and range – it delivers across all three in spades,” said Graeme Wilson, Group Sales Director at Allports Group.