Global logistics company UPS has introduced a new line of range-extended electric vehicles (REEVS) vehicles to its fleets serving Birmingham and Southampton.
The vehicles, which were developed in conjunction with electric vehicle specialists TEVVA and part-funded by The Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) and InnovateUK, address what UPS sees the range limitations of pure electric vehicles within the logistics industry.
They form part of UPS’s ‘rolling laboratory’ strategy to develop a variety of alternative fuel vehicles, using continuous evaluation and experimentation to ensure that the company reduces its carbon footprint with solutions best suited to each specific environment.
The new REEVs operate using hybrid electric vehicle technology, which increases route range whilst maintaining the cargo capacity of traditional diesel vehicles of the same weight class.
“The range jump from 100km to 400km is the result of UPS’s latest collaboration with TEVVA. We can serve our customers with lower emission, alternatively-fuelled vehicles in places beyond the reach of existing pure electric vehicles at this weight class,” said Luke Wake, Director of Automotive Engineering and Advanced Technology at UPS International
“Since 2009, UPS has invested more than $1 billion in alternative fuel and advanced technology vehicles and fuelling stations globally. But news like this really brings home the evolution of our rolling laboratory – you can now actually see progress like this out on the roads in and out of Birmingham and Southampton.”
