Voltloader, a leading provider of electric HGV transport and charging services, has launched its service in the agricultural sector.
It has become the first transport company to offer combinable crop deliveries using electric powered articulated vehicles.
Founded 18 months ago, the company uses Volvo FM tractor units with 540kWh of battery installed and 666 bhp to service its customers.
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Voltloader has a customised tipping trailer design to allow an optimum payload helping to offset the weight of the vehicle battery.
Dave Rose, CEO and Founder of Voltloader, admitted the vehicles have been creating a stir with both customers and drivers, with particular attention given to their near-silent operation: “At Voltloader, we are reinventing the way a transport provider operates, having to consider factors such as charging requirements and vehicle range.
“We have shown that regional use cases for moving bulk products are perfectly possible. What’s more, for every diesel vehicle we replace we can cut up to 100 tonnes of carbon per year from the agricultural supply. It’s a game-changing shift for the sector and particularly those focused on their scope 3 emissions.”
He continues: “With ever-increasing climate events and data to show the changes in our environment, it is vital as an industry we do our part to drive down emissions and make sustainable change.
“And, of course, it makes sense to utilise the often cheaper locally generated clean electricity from our home shores to power zero emission HGV’s rather than rely on imported diesel.”
Through strategic collaborations with UK grain merchants, mills, and processors, Voltloader is starting an industry transition it believes will help remove millions of tonnes of carbon from the food supply chain.
Operations started in the east of England, with plans to extend to other locations nationwide. Initial focus is on moving grain and other agricultural produce on regional runs of distances between 10-70 miles.
The vehicles are capable of achieving over 150 miles range on a single charge, which takes as little as an hour and a half using Voltloader’s ultra-fast chargers.
To increase vehicle range and service performance, these chargers will be installed at specific customers sites in addition to their own depots.
They will be accessible to customers and their suppliers, supporting a wider industry roll-out of electric vehicles.
