- Chinese commercial vehicle manufacturer Yutong, whose electric buses and coaches are already available in the UK, is set to bring a range of electric commercial trucks to the market.
- The first Yutong electric truck to hit the UK market will be the Yutong T75e, a fully-electric 7.5-tonne unit.
- Much like existing Yutong products in the UK, the electric trucks will be imported by UK sales and service partner, Pelican Engineering.
Yutong kicks off UK electric truck range with 7.5t offering
Since Yutong entered the UK market with Pelican Engineering back in 2014, over 1,500 buses and coaches have been sold, with 800 of them being fully-electric models. It’s the perfect time to start offering products on the electric truck side, as the market competition for such vehicles continues to hot up. Established brands such as Scania are pivoting heavily to an all-electric future, while UK bus manufacturer Wrightbus recently opened an electric truck and bus spinoff brand, called Rightech.
While a wider portfolio will come in the future, the first electric truck to come to the UK market from Yutong will be the T75e, a 7.5-tonne truck which will focus on both urban and regional transport. Two battery capacities will be on offer: 100kW or 132kW, with the latter offering a drivable range of 180 miles. The T75e will also be offered with three specific electric power takeoff options, allowing for bodies such as tippers or cranes to be fitted with ease.
The truck is expected to make a public debut at the UK’s Road Transport Expo, in June.
Richard Crump, Managing Director at Pelican Engineering, said:
“This is a very exciting development for us. If the UK is to satisfy its net zero ambitions, then the decarbonisation of the commercial vehicle sector is a crucial part of the jigsaw. We believe the 7.5-tonne sector is the easiest sector to electrify and the Yutong truck chassis, combined with our cost-effective charger and battery storage solution provided by Pelican AEAUTO, brings operators a readymade solution for their zero-emission needs.
As with the bus and coach sector, we will work with the Yutong service team, based in the UK, to bring these trucks to market. We intend to service and maintain the new vehicles through a combination of strategically located vehicle management units, supported by the team at our Castleford head office. Clearly as we grow our truck market footprint, we will continue to expand the service offering and appoint new sales and service agents in due course.”
