Tevva will promote its electric trucks by allowing fleets to rent them for three to six month periods, starting next year.

The new initiative, called Electrify, is designed to enable fleet operators to evaluate how electric trucks can save them money while fulfilling the same duties as diesel ones.

Up to 50 12-tonne eTrucks will be available within two years.

“The big players in the transport industry already see the benefits, opportunities and potential of technology like ours, but too many businesses in the UK and across Europe still have a relatively low level of awareness.

“Electrify will enable a better understanding and increased adoption to accelerate significantly by proving beyond any possible doubt in real-world environments that logistics electrification technology is ready to displace diesel now,” said David Thackray, Tevva sales and marketing director.

Tevva’s package of EV technologies includes a bespoke battery pack and management system with cloud-based software that uses geofencing to autonomously control a range extender – enabling zero-emissions running in cities without range anxiety.

The initiative is being spearheaded by seven companies based between London and Oxford which will be taking delivery of eight eTrucks intially.

Tevva is targeting companies from a wide range of urban distribution sectors, including food, healthcare and janitorial services. It hopes the Commercial EV Technology Fleet will drive confidence in EV technology as logistics firms look to lower total cost of fleet ownership, comply with current and future emissions regulations and address their carbon footprint and impact on air quality and climate change.

During the period of the demonstration, Tevva will provide detailed telematics data to show all operational elements, such as mileage completed, energy consumed, grid energy used and range extender fuel consumption vs energy generated.

Tevva will also provide customers with all necessary training for their technicians and drivers to ensure safety during the trial and optimise the benefits of the on-board technologies.