Electric technology for trucks is not yet developed enough to power long distance journeys, which would be Europa’s prime demand given the thousands of miles its drivers’ cover each day. However, Mr Cook has invested time and resources in researching the electric offering on the market at the moment and is confident the business will be buying non-diesel vehicles within the next two to three years.
“I’ve been looking in to possible options to bring on some electric trucks at Europa, principally with a concentration on London distribution given the practicalities of distance and time from our 1hub headquarters in Dartford versus their battery life” Mr Cook said. “Our view is that electric trucks are very much the future, particularly from an environmental perspective in city centres. From my research I understand the technology for the scale of our requirement is not quite there yet in terms of purchase price versus operating cost, and indeed the ability to achieve a full days’ work on the battery life. But the technology is being developed, and we’re confident that it won’t be long before HGVs have the same electric capacity as cars”.
Cook added that the company is very keen to be involved in trials of electric vehicles and will support the movement towards reducing carbon emissions in the freight sector at every opportunity, as the company firmly believes that the future of haulage is electric.
As well as its specialist European road freight services, Europa also provides dedicated air & sea, warehouse and showfreight services. The business’s turnover exceeded £144 million at the end of 2017, now stands at £155 million and is on track to exceed £200 million by the end of 2018. The business operates across 13 sites in the UK, Hong Kong and Belgium employing 750 people and is represented in 100 countries
Image: Europa Worldwide Operations Director Dan Cook
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