The vehicle in question – a battery electric ‘Enviro100’ which has been retrofitted with Fusion’s ‘CAVstar’ automated driving system – is now being tested in order to calibrate and fine tune the self-driving system before it is put into service.

DAF Trucks UK has been the market leader in the UK truck (trucks >6t) market for 30 years. T&BB analyses the reasons behind this continued success and poses the question, will DAF UK remain the market leader for the next 30 years as the industry transitions to zero emissions?

This vehicle is being utilised for regional distribution and long-haul deliveries as part of a UK-funded government project to demonstrate how battery-electric heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) can effectively replace conventional HGVs at scale on the UK road network.

We know that new electric HGVs carry a significant upfront cost compared to that of their diesel ICE equivalents. DAF is aiming to leverage big data and AI to drive efficiency gains for operators, ameliorating that initial cost.

The truck conversion is based on a Mercedes Benz Actros chassis (4x2), equipped with a 7.8-litre Deutz six-cylinder in-line diesel (converted to run on hydrogen) engine with an output of 210 kW (281 hp) providing a maximum torque of 1000 Nm. The truck is fitted with an Allison 3000 Series TM fully automatic transmission.

While the exact financial details of this investment have not been publicly disclosed, it is part of HVS's ongoing efforts to attract outside investment after the company announced last year it was desperately seeking Series B funding as it slimmed down operations of its attribute prototype (AP) build.

The JV OEM is focused on developing advanced NECV technologies.

New model may replace Nissan Navara.

This increases Daimler’s European aftermarket network leading to greater vehicle uptime and therefore profitability for operators.

The Yutong T75e will come with an energy capacity of either 100 or 132 kilowatt hours, with the latter option providing a range of over 180 miles.

Daimler plans on delivering another 50 of these e-trucks before the end of the year, with the majority heading to European dealerships as demonstrator models.

The brand, called ‘Rightech’, has a strategic framework agreement with two Chinese manufacturers to distribute and service four vehicle models, two of which are trucks.