We hear about new landmarks in the world of electric trucks all of the time; the first electric tractor unit in East Anglia, the first skip loader in the North West, Largest order of electric trucks etc., so we thought it worthwhile highlighting our own electric truck landmark.

This week sees the first used electric truck in the Truckpages Magazine and here, online at www.Truckpages.co.uk.

Used Electric Truck Prices

It is notoriously difficult to get a realistic published price for a new diesel truck in the UK – the same goes for a used diesel truck. The sellers all like to have a conversation about methods of purchase and whole lift cost benefits, rather than publishing a starting price that does not tell the whole story.

For this reason, it is a brave team at Ford and Slater who have published the sale of the first electric truck seen in our magazine and online. What is even more interesting is that the company has included a price in the advert.

In taking to the truck manufacturers themselves, the broad brush indication is that a battery electric truck is coming out at around three times the price of a diesel version. Bear in mind, however, that these manufacturers are currently ramping up their production facilities, so the up front cost of these trucks should be coming down in the next few years.

So how much is it?

Let’s look at the specification first. It is a 2022 DAF FA LF E19 19 tonne battery electric curtainsider. The 26ft body comes complete with a DEL tuckaway tail lift and rear barn doors. The 19 tonnes GVW is correct – the extra tonne is permitted so as not to disincentivise electric trucks further. DAF quote for this exact vehicle a payload of 9 tonnes.

You also get a snazzy number plate – EV71 DAF and if you want to read about some of the companies that have trialled this actual (almost famous) truck then you can read the Shred Station’s report here, Friar’s Pride here and Demaur Paper here. The truck also took part in EV Live show.

The 19-tonne DAF LF Electric is powered by a 250kW nominal power electric motor, (370kW peak) and nominal torque of 1,200Nm (3,700Nm peak). DAF’s latest LFP batteries provide a gross energy content of 282kWh (254 kWh effective) to give the vehicle a published single charge range of 280km – in the real world, this is about 130 miles according to DAF in their post about this actual truck going on trial with UPS. To put the battery size in perspective, most Tesla sized cars have batteries of around 80kWh.  Whilst the DAF LFP battery pack comes with a six-year warranty.

How Can I Charge It?

Using the CCS system favoured by most car manufacturers allows the truck to be charged through regular power networks and is ideal when the truck returns to home base at the end of the day. Through slow-charging (400V AC, 22kW, 3 phase), the battery pack can be charged from 20% to 80% in 6.5 hours. A full charge (0% to 100%) takes up to 12-hours. If dedicated equipment is available, fast charging the batteries (650V DC, 150kW) is complete in only 60-minutes from 20% to 80%, or two-hours for a full charge.

So, if you are able to get back to base and recharge every night, a slower and relatively cheap charger will do the job. Otherwise, the rapid chargers cost well over £10,000.

And the Price?

A broadly comparable 18 tonne diesel DAF LF will set you back around £50,000 or £60,000 in the used truck market.

The advertised price for the ex-demo electric DAF LF for sale at Ford & Slater is…

£180,000+VAT

Our Poor Mathematics – Fuel Prices

Here’s some really basic maths – with arguably questionable assumptions:

Let’s assume you buy the truck at asking price and keep it for five years, (so still under warranty).

Realistically, you can drive the truck 130 miles a day on a single charge. To work out what a diesel 18 tonner would cost, let’s assume that one might do around 13mpg. That’s ten gallons of diesel a day. At £1.15 per litre (without the VAT) that is around £52 per day.

It’s worth checking your business electricity rates before buying an electric truck – you may be able to get a better deal if you are set to use a whole load more power. For our purposes here, let’s use a rate of 35 pence per kWh as a comparison to see if there are some huge savings to be had in fuel – check your own bill for your electricity cost.

The same 130 miles should use around 210kWh (you never want to run a battery vehicle too low or run out). At 35 pence per kWh this would be £73.50 per day.

So, no fuel cost saving.

Why Buy an Electric Truck?

If a truck buyer is prepared to spend what works out to be around an additional £25,000 a year for five years on buying an electric truck compared to a diesel one, then this should probably come from a marketing budget, as the benefits can only be in terms of CSR and new business generation.