Tarmac has placed an order with Renault Trucks for a battery electric mixer truck as part of its commitment to net zero.
Due to be delivered in Autumn 2022, the electric mixer will be put to work at Tarmac’s Washwood Heath site in Birmingham, supplying construction materials to customers across the West Midlands.
The company is working with Renault Trucks and Total Vehicle Solutions (TVS) to develop the next generation of mixers, with ambitions for their eventual widespread use across its urban operations.
John Anderson, logistics director at Tarmac, said: “This order marks the first practical step towards a whole fleet transition to electric mixers and demonstrates our commitment to lead by example as we continue to turn our net zero ambitions into actions.
“One of Tarmac’s key sustainability goals is to be at the forefront of implementing low CO2 transport and logistics solutions, and this shows us doing exactly that. We’re looking forward to serving our customers across the West Midlands with this fully electric truck in the autumn.”
Tarmac said EV mixers reduce noise and vibration, while contributing to improving air quality, particularly when operating in urban areas and low and zero emissions zones.
By utilising telematics information available for its fleet activity, the design team has been able to match the normal delivery profile of a truck to the indicative range of 120km and the power draw from the mixer drum in transit and discharge, the company said.
The truck will have the ability to fast charge within 1.5-2 hours if needed and has a 265kWh battery with a guarantee of up to 10 years operation.
The 26-tonne Renault Trucks E-Tech D Wide will come with enhanced safety features, as the batteries provide a lower centre of gravity, improving stability.
The speed of the drum rotation is also computer-controlled to optimise energy consumption for loading, unloading and transit of different types of mix.
The design of the vehicle has been developed following successful collaboration last year through Tarmac’s Supplier Innovation challenge and Supplier Sustainability Week, which saw suppliers working to find solutions to accelerate the industry’s progress to reach net zero.
The order comes as part of the company’s wider strategy to decarbonise its vehicle network, following its commitment to upgrade its 2,000-strong fleet of corporate cars and vans to EVs by 2030.
Tarmac recently announced it was trialling a new fuel additive from SulNOx Group that promises to improve fuel efficiency and reduce Co2 and particulate emissions.
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