Royal Mail has announced that it is trialling electric truck technology, supported by an £800,000 grant from Innovate UK.
The company’s first ever electric truck, launched in collaboration with electric vehicle drive systems provider Magtec, will be based at the Greenford Mail Centre in North West London.
The trial will put the two new 19-tonne vehicles through their paces in real-world conditions, comparing their performance with Royal Mail’s existing fleet.
The company’s first ever electric truck will be based at the Greenford Mail Centre in North West London, with the aim of delivering and collecting mail from nearby delivery offices.
Flexible battery options mean that the truck can cover up to 125 miles on a single charge while maintaining highway speeds of up to 56mph.
Royal Mail reports that it already has the lowest reported carbon emissions per parcel of any UK delivery company – based on average CO2e emissions per (200g) parcel delivered by UK parcel operators – with the company having reduced Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 18% in two years.
By July 2025, Royal Mail will have over 7,000 electric vans in use across the UK.
Most of the vans will be charged on-site at Royal Mail’s delivery offices via a purchased 100% renewable electricity supply.
Senior project delivery lead at the Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC) UK Martin Welch said: “Magtec’s high-performance electric drive train technology is now excellently positioned to seize a growth market opportunity.
“As demand for electric vehicles increases both for first-build and re-power applications, so does the need for versatile and effective powertrain systems like those offered by Magtec.
“APC is delighted to see the results of its collaborative R&D projects delivering products to the automotive sector at scale.
“Making these systems efficient and affordable is essential to enable decarbonisation of the range of commercial vehicles currently in use, while still delivering customer priorities like drivability, range, and efficiency.”
Achievements in sustainable urban mobility will be recognised and celebrated at the fourth annual CiTTi Awards on 25 November 2025 at De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms in London. Visit www.cittiawards.co.uk to learn more about this unmissable event for the UK’s transportation sector!
