Logistics giant UPS has ordered 10,000 purpose-built electric vehicles from Arrival in an order worth “hundreds of millions of Euros” as part of its global project to transition to a zero emissions fleet.

These vehicles will be rolled out in the UK, Europe and North America from 2020 to 2024 with the company having an option to purchase a further 10,000 models.

UPS’s venture capital arm also announced an investment in Arrival of an undisclosed sum.

Carlton Rose, president of UPS global fleet maintenance and engineering, said: “Our investment and partnership with Arrival is directly aligned with UPS’s transformation strategy, led by the deployment of cutting-edge technologies.

“These vehicles will be among the world’s most advanced package delivery vehicles, redefining industry standards for electric, connected and intelligent vehicle solutions.”

Arrival first announced a partnership with UPS to develop EVs in 2016. The vehicles have been co-developed by the two companies to exactly match UPS’s specifications and include the latest advanced control and safety features.

Denis Sverdlov, founder and CEO of Arrival added: “UPS has been a strong strategic partner of Arrival, providing valuable insight to how electric delivery vans are used on the road and how they can be optimised for drivers.

“Together our teams have been creating bespoke electric vehicles, based on our flexible skateboard platforms, that meet the end-to-end needs of UPS from driving, loading/unloading, depot and back office operations.

“We are pleased that today’s investment and vehicle order creates even closer ties between our two companies.”  

In October, UPS added 15 Tevva range-extender 7.5-tonne trucks to its UK fleet, joining the 100 electric vehicles it already operated in the UK.

The vehicles were part-funded by the Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) and Innovate UK.

They feature new hybrid electric vehicle technology, which increases route range while maintaining the cargo capacity (23m³) of traditional diesel vehicles of the same weight class.

They are equipped with a 150kW electric motor (providing 2,000Nm of torque) supported by a lithium-ion 74kWh battery that provides an EV range exceeding 60 miles.