Sainsbury’s has ordered 51 Edison electric vans from Smith Electric Vehicles, the trading division of electric vehicle manufacturer Tanfield.

The vehicles will be deployed in Sainsbury’s online grocery delivery service in London and will make Sainsbury’s one of the largest operator of commercial electric vehicles in the UK. The vans will be delivered in the first half of 2010.

Tanfield’s subsidiary, SEV Group Ltd, has also won the fleet management contract, renewable annually, to maintain and service the new vehicles.