First electric mixer goes to Tarmac
The McPhee mixer body will be mounted on a 26-tonne Renault Trucks E-Tech D Wide chassis
Construction material supplier Tarmac has ordered the UK’s first battery-electric mixer truck for Autumn delivery to work at Tarmac’s Washwood Heath site in Birmingham. The truck will supply construction materials to customers across the West Midlands.
Tarmac is working with Renault Trucks and Total Vehicle Solutions (TVS) to develop the electric mixers, with ambitions for their eventual widespread use across its urban operations. As Tarmac procures 100 per cent of its site electricity from clean energy sources – wind, solar and hydro power only – the new vehicle will operate as a carbon neutral solution.
In addition to making the transition to zero tailpipe emissions, EV mixers reduce noise and vibration, while contributing to improving air quality, particularly when operating in urban areas and low and zero emissions zones.
Utilising telematics information from Tarmac’s fleet activity, the design team has been able to match the normal delivery profile of a truck to the indicative range of 120km and the power draw from the mixer drum in transit and discharge. The truck will have the ability to fast charge within one and a half to two hours if necessary, and has a 265kWh battery with a guarantee of up to 10 years operation.
The 26-tonne Renault Trucks E-Tech D Wide has enhanced safety, as the batteries provide a lower centre of gravity, improving stability. Drum rotation speed is also computer-controlled to optimise energy consumption for loading, unloading and transit of different types of mix.
Kevin Walker, technical director at TVS, said: “TVS is excited to partner with Renault Trucks in bringing the first electric concrete mixer to the Tarmac fleet. This initial solution uses a hydraulic system, with the full electric drive expected to be released in 2023. The project has proudly been supported by Scottish Enterprise, and the electric concrete mixer will be manufactured in Motherwell, Scotland.”
Tarmac operates one of the largest HGV fleets in the UK, and this order comes as part of the company’s wider strategy to decarbonise its vehicle network, following its commitment to upgrade its 2,000-strong fleet of corporate cars and vans to EVs by 2030.
