Royal Mail has begun trialling two 19-tonne electric trucks as part of its efforts to decarbonise its national logistics fleet. The vehicles, supplied by British EV manufacturer Magtec, represent the first heavy-duty electric HGVs to be tested by the postal service, which has already committed to deploying over 7,000 smaller electric vans by 2027.
The Magtec MEV190 trucks will operate between Royal Mail delivery depots, focusing on middle- and last-mile logistics to complement the local routes handled by electric vans. Powered by five 60kWh battery modules for a total capacity of 300kWh, the vehicles boast a range of up to 125 miles per charge. The trucks can be fully charged in approximately three hours using a 100kW CCS2 charger and feature a 200kW motor with a top speed limited to 56 mph.
The trial is backed by an £800,000 grant from Innovate UK and will initially be based out of Royal Mail’s Greenford Mail Centre in North West London. The findings will inform broader decarbonisation strategies for Royal Mail’s 4,000-strong national truck fleet.
“We’re excited to welcome the Magtec truck to the Royal Mail fleet,” said Anna Pearson, Fleet Innovation and Environment Manager at Royal Mail. “This trial will help strengthen our position as the UK’s largest electric delivery fleet operator, while ensuring we have the reliability we need for the challenge of delivering to every single one of the UK’s 32 million addresses.”
Magtec CTO Marcus Jenkins added, “This collaboration represents a significant milestone in advancing EV technology for medium-duty trucks. By addressing the challenges of power inefficiencies and range anxiety, we aim to provide fleet operators with a reliable, cost-effective solution that supports their decarbonisation goals.”
