UK startup Arrival is working with UPS to develop a new mini fleet of electric delivery vehicles. The e-trucks are to be rolled out in London and Paris this year and are reported capable of rolling much farther between charges than other electric service vehicles currently in operation.
UPS says that it's actively seeking to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels, and has invested more than US$750 million in "alternative fuel and advanced technology vehicles" since 2009. It currently has more than 9,000 alternative technology vehicles on the road around the world.
Of those, almost 700 hybrids have been deployed in Europe and the US, together with over 300 all-electric vehicles. The 35 adaptable electric delivery trucks being developed by Arrival to UPS specs will join that global fleet, albeit as a limited trial in London and Paris.
Unfortunately, revealed specs are thin on the ground. The only details we do know for sure are that the vehicle will include driver safety technology and that its range will be greater than the Royal Mail version from last year.
The UPS delivery e-van will have a range of 150 miles (240 km) per charge. Like the Royal Mail vans, the design features a wrap-around front windshield for a wide field of view.
UPS expects the first trial vehicles to be deployed by the end of 2018.
Source: UPS