Yutong 7.5-tonne electric truck launched in UK
Yutong TE7: the new Chinese contender in the UK EV truck market
The first Chinese-built and badged electric truck to go on direct sale in the UK is the Yutong TE7: a 7.5-tonner imported by the long-established company Pelican Engineering, which has already put over 1,000 electric Yutong buses and coaches into service with UK operators.
With unbodied chassis-cab weight starting at 2970 kg, the TE7 is closer in specification and appearance to the Japanese-designed Isuzu N75 than it is to European offerings such as the DAF XB or Iveco Eurocargo, which start from around 3.5 tonnes. It is aimed squarely at urban back-to-base operations with planned daily routes and schedules: in other words, its optimum work patterns are close to those found in city bus operations where the manufacturer currently enjoys most of its UK EV success.
Pelican says it can provide support with advice on battery configuration and charging options. The chassis is suitable for box, curtainside and tipper applications.
The TE7 appears to have been designed from the ground up as an electric vehicle. Rather than aping the layout of a diesel truck with an electric motor in place of the internal-combustion engine, the TE7 uses a traction motor/retarder integrated into the rear axle and has a power controller under the cab, with the batteries caried centrally. Maximum power and torque are 200 kW (268 hp equivalent) and 470 Nm respectively.
Lithium iron phosphate batteries are supplied by leading manufacturer CATL. The standard fitment is of 132 kW/h capacity, with a 100 kW/h option that saves 30 kg. Electric power take-offs of 20 or 40 kW are fitted. Recharging from 20 to 80 per cent capacity is around 35 minutes via a 120 kW charger. AC and DC chargers are compatible with the TE7, and there is a CCS2 socket behind the cab on the offside.
The cab can seat up to three occupants
Short (3,360mm) and medium (3,850mm) wheelbase chassis are available, with maximum body lengths of 4,245 and 5,245 mm respectively. A long-wheelbase variant is on the way, which will allow fitment of a 5,500 mm box body.
Front disc brakes and rear drums are backed by the motor’s range-extending regenerative braking capability.
Although relatively small at 1,980 mm width, the cab features a dual passenger seat (with folding centre section) alongside a high-back air-suspended driver’s seat. There are air-bags for driver and passenger seats. Overhead storage compartments are augmented by a central storage box, and there are USB A and C charging sockets along with a DAB radio with Bluetooth connectivity and a 24v socket.
Other driver-oriented features include electric power-steering, uphill and downhill start assist systems, electric heating and air-con with rapid defrost, and a multifunction steering wheel. Eco, standard and power modes can be selected.
A reversing camera, dash camera, and central display monitor are built in, and a fire extinguisher is installed as standard.
The power controller is installed under the cab, while the motor/retarder is integrated into the rear axle
Pelican Engineering, which was started just after the First World War and was a Foden truck dealer until the marque’s ‘retirement’ triggered the switch to Yutong (it still holds DAF and MAN franchises), is keen to emphasise that it does far more than sell the vehicles.
Building on the foundation provided by its bus and coach business, it already has a national parts distribution centre in operation 08:00 to 18:00 Monday to Saturday. Outside these hours a call-out service is available from Pelican Truck dealerships. For the TE7, Pelican expects to meet every parts requirement from stock. Parts can be shipped nationwide via the Royal Mail overnight service.
In addition to this, fully-manned parts distribution centres in Dundee and Bristol will be open by summer 2025 and the company can provide impress stock for fleet operators if required.
Pelican’s service centre is already open 24/7, 362 days per year to provide full aftersales service to operators located in West Yorkshire.
Pricing and sales
Pelican Electric Trucks sales manager David Watts said the starting point would be around £66,000 for the short-wheelbase chassis-cab with the 100kW battery. Choosing the larger battery would uplift the price by £5,000 – £6,000.
Pointing out that the UK’s 7.5-tonne market was around 4,000 units a year, he said that he hoped to win orders for 50 to 100 vehicles in the first 12 months and 100 to 200 in the following year.
“The 7.5-tonne sector is the easiest to decarbonise today,” David Watts added. “The vehicles are not taken home by their drivers the way vans are, and the work they do is generally predictable ‘return-to-base’ local or regional distribution.
“The vehicles can be charged using AC, so depot grid upgrades are less important than they would be for heavy trucks. They are also not catastrophically expensive compared to their diesel counterparts, while electric heavy trucks are two-and-a-half or three times as costly as heavy diesels are.”
Bodywork and demonstrators
Four demonstrators will initially be made available to potential customers. Two medium-wheelbase trucks with box bodies (box bodies take about 85 per cent of the 7.5-tonne market) will be followed by two short-wheelbase tippers with different bodies aimed at specific tasks in the municipal sector. All will have the smaller battery option.
Pelican is working closely with Micra Truck Bodies of Wakefield on the boxes, while the tippers are being installed by Brit-Tipp. Two more chassis with the larger batteries may also be allocated to demonstrator duties.
