UPS trials Arrival electric vans in London

DELIVERY firm UPS is going to trial electric vans in London.

The trial will involve 35 vans from UK-based technology firm Arrival in both London and Paris.

These lightweight composite pilot vans from Arrival are zero tailpipe emission, have a battery range in excess of 150 miles and come equipped with Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) that help to improve safety and reduce driver fatigue.

These features, says UPS, combined with a highly advanced vehicle display provide the driver with an intelligent and connected vehicle.

Luke Wake, international director for automotive engineering in the advanced technology group at UPS commented:

“UPS is working with Arrival here in the UK because their smart electric vehicles are helping to reduce dependency on fossil fuel. This is a pioneering collaboration that helps UPS develop new ways to reduce our emissions.

“UPS is marshalling its global scale to encourage innovation within the automotive industry. We are helping to drive demand for these disruptive technologies. The result is a safer and cleaner fleet for the communities in which we deliver.”

Arrival is the first commercial vehicle manufacturer in Europe to provide purpose-built electric delivery vehicles to UPS’s specifications. Since 2016, UPS and Arrival have been developing prototypes of different sizes.

Expect to see the the first UPS Arrival vans around London’s roads before the end of this year.

“We’re excited to collaborate with UPS to create an affordable, modular, fully electric delivery vehicle designed to make deliveries in our busy cities clean and quiet,” said Denis Sverdlov, CEO of Arrival. “With its unique, wrap-around front window the driver has a much wider field of view that improves not only the safety of the driver but also that of cyclists and pedestrians.”

UPS says that electromobility and alternative technology vehicles are a priority for the company. With more than 9,000 vehicles worldwide operating using alternative propulsion methods, UPS possesses one of the largest private and most diverse alternative fuel and advanced technology fleets in the entire logistics industry.

“This initiative will help UPS attain its global carbon reduction goals for the company’s facilities and fleets,” said Peter Harris, director for sustainability at UPS Europe. “We will continue working with our partners, communities and customers to spark innovation, thus leading the industry toward a more sustainable future.”

In March 2018, UPS announced it had installed a radical new charging technology at its central London depot in Camden that overcame the challenge of simultaneously recharging an entire fleet of EVs without the need for an expensive upgrade to the power supply grid.

UPS said the new charging technology signalled the beginning of the end for its reliance on traditional combustion engine powered vehicles. The facility now allowed UPS to increase the number of EVs operating from its central London site from the current limit of 65 to all 170 trucks based there.