Dartford's Europa Road to trial new Electric Vehicle on domestic distribution fleet

Published by

Tom Kilkelly

As part of Dartford-based Europa Road's journey towards decarbonisation, the company is set to trial its new Electric Vehicle (EV) on its domestic distribution fleet.

These trials come in response to the International Energy Agency's (IEA) calls for the rapid deployment of electric trucks in line with their 2050 Net Zero Ambitions Scenario.

Arranged by contract hire company Vertellus and its partner RH Commercial Vehicles, the trials will provide Europa with insight on how to make their future fleets more sustainable.

Europa is the first company to trial Vertullus' EV Discovery Programme, which is designed to help its customers transitioning towards sustainably fuelled vehicles and provides a full in-life support service for all electric trucks.

Operations Director at Europa Worldwide Group Dan Cook said: “It’s been highlighted by the World Economic Forum that shipment transportation accounts for 24 per cent of net carbon emissions and it has therefore been a long-held ambition of Europa’s to adopt technologies that will help reduce our carbon emissions.

“Our participation in Vertellus’ EV Discovery Programme marks the start of our transition to becoming a more sustainable logistics operator. The ‘try-before-you-buy’ programme gives us an opportunity to explore the strengths and limits of this technology, identifying where it can be most useful to us and will also provide us with knowledge on how we can adopt similar technologies into our future fleets, both domestic and international.”

Europa has taken delivery of a Renault Trucks E-tech 18 tonne vehicle in its Dartford fleet and will trial the EV through domestic travel, making use of the Dartford Road Freight specialists currently expanding UK network.

Managing director at Vertellus Nigel Baxter said: “Compared to diesel vehicles, there is a lot more to think about with EV contract hire. The purpose of the Discovery Programme is to remove the complexity and hassle out of the energy transition, so operators like Europa Road can accelerate the process of reducing their carbon footprints.

“We realise the introduction of EVs into fleets is a huge investment for operators, particularly for industry-leading Europa Road. Vertellus, with the support of trusted Renault dealership RH Commercial Vehicles, is providing Europa with the opportunity to try out EVs, testing the technology in their own day-to-day environment, before undertaking further investment.

“While the transition to EVs will likely occur in stages, it’s collaborations with forward-thinkers like Europa that will set a precedent for future acceleration of sustainable freight travel.”

Tom Kilkelly

Tom Kilkelly started working as a freelance journalist for The Business Magazine following his graduation from UCL in 2022. During his studies Tom became very interested in the works of Irish authors including Samuel Beckett and Flann O'Brien (Brian O'Nolan). His current role as a freelance business reporter is his first exposure to the world of business journalism. Working at TBM has given Tom the chance to really get to grips with the goings-on in the business hive that is the South East.