Trucking industry majors Wincanton and Daimler have each made deals which will speed the electrification of trucks across Europe.
Business supply chain operator Wincaton has announced that it has added 24 electric trucks to its logistics fleet, which are set to begin operations this summer. The new vehicles have been supplied by DAF Trucks, Volvo Trucks, and Renault Trucks, and are capable of carrying more than 40 tonnes of cargo each. Once operational, these vehicles are expected to reduce Wincanton’s carbon dioxide emissions by as much as 2,400 tonnes per year.
In order to support these new trucks, Wincanton is rolling out new charging infrastructure at its key depots in West London, Portbury, Glasgow, and Northamptonshire. These new EV chargepoints are being designed and built in partnership with Voltempo and chargepoint operator Gridserve.
Wincanton is one of many participants in the Electric Freightway and eFREIGHT 2030 consortia, two key schemes seeking to explore barriers to electrifying the UK’s trucking fleet. Both of these are part of the Zero Emission HGV and Infrastructure Demonstrator (ZEHID) programme, funded by the UK government. Wincanton’s real-world testing and integration of zero-emission trucks will provide useful data to move the industry towards a decarbonised future.
Carl Hanson, managing director for transport at Wincanton, said that sustainability is “at the heart” of the firm’s plans for the future. He added: “With these HGVs marking a major step forward in our commitment to a more sustainable supply chain, this important milestone will help us learn and adapt for the future. We can’t wait to see the new trucks in action.”
DHL, Daimler Truck, hylane GmbH partner on electric trucks
Meanwhile, commercial vehicle manufacturer Daimler Truck has joined forces with logistics provider DHL Group and commercial vehicle rental provider hylane GmbH on an innovative new agreement to decarbonise DHL’s fleet.
Under the cooperation agreement, DHL will obtain 30 Mercedes-Benz eActros 600 trucks through hylane under a “transport as a service” model; this means that DHL will not purchase the vehicles, but will instead lease them from hylane, with DHL being billed for the miles each truck drives. These trucks will be used in DHL’s Post & Parcel Germany division, and will primarily be used to transport post between parcel centres. DHL already has a significant sustainable fleet in Germany, including 16 electric trucks and 32,400 electric vans for last-mile delivery.
Marc Hitschfeld, chief operations officer of the Post & Parcel Germany division of DHL Group, emphaised that the company is “very pleased” with the partnership, adding: “This solution provides us with the necessary flexibility to significantly expand our transport fleet with a substantial number of fully electric trucks without a long lead time”. The new trucks are expected to take to the road in the second quarter of 2026.
