In June 2021, DAF were awarded funding under the SBRI ZE Road Freight Competition to deploy and undertake research on the performance of 20 DAF LF Battery Electric Trucks between April 2022 and September 2023.
Cenex, the non-profit research & consultancy organisation focused on low emission transport & associated energy infrastructure, partnered with DAF trucks to lead the study aspects of the research.
A key focus of the research and study aspect was to develop a website and a tool to promote and educate fleet owners on electric truck adoption. This website is designed to highlight learnings from the trial to help remove barriers to adoption of electric trucks.
Good question. The UK Government are planning a shift to zero emission trucks to help meet their Net-Zero emission target. More zero emission zones are also expected to appear in cities in the coming months. In response to these types of legislative moves, battery electric trucks are now becoming available from a range of mainstream manufacturers. Fleets and cities are keen to shift to zero emission alternatives but there is little information available on the real-world performance of the vehicles. This trial helps understand the best way to implement the vehicles and charging into fleets and inform on any barriers to adoption.
The LF Electric is a rigid truck with a 5.30 m or 5.85 m wheelbase; it has a GVW of 19 tonnes and a body and payload allowance of 11.7 tonnes, which is sufficient for most distribution applications. It is the predecessor of the current DAF XB Electric.
Rigid Truck, 2 axles (19t GVW)
Electric motor with 282 kWh battery
250 kW
1,200 Nm
175 miles (claimed)
11,700 kg
19,000 kg
9,300 kg
Lots. Visit the Learnings page to find out what we studied and learnt from the trial.
The trucks were trialled across different types of public sector operations, from logistics to waste management. The trial vehicles included different types of ancillary systems that operate from the battery. This includes tail-lifts and refrigeration units. There were a total of nine different organisations using the vehicles. These organisations are introduced below.
Supporting the installation of Blackpool’s famous illuminations by transporting lighting and associated structures to their 512 lighting columns for installation and removal. They hope to also use the vehicle for longer journeys supplying illuminations to surrounding areas. Blackpool have declared a climate emergency and expect this vehicle to play a part in reducing their emissions.
Purchasing and delivery of supplies to public sector organisations in the East Midlands. The vehicles will be used to deliver almost everything used by dozens of schools, prisons and fire stations, all from their depot in Leicester. It will play a part in their goal of reducing emissions in order for the public sector to lead the way in becoming environmentally friendly.
Used to transport waste bins from hospitals in and around Leeds to a recycling centre, and return empty bins back to the hospitals. Hospitals see the direct impact of health conditions caused by pollution and Leeds Teaching Hospital looks forward to playing a part in addressing this.
Operating from 4 depots across the country, the vehicles will be used to deliver everything that hospitals need, from stationary to medical supplies. Moving operations to zero emission vehicles will help the NHS achieve its target of becoming net zero by 2045.
Operating in north Manchester, the vehicles will be used to transport clean linen to hospitals in the region and return dirty linen to be washed. Electric vehicles will compliment their existing solar powered tail lifts.
The vehicle will be used by the Environmental Management team to deliver replacement wheelie bins to households across the borough of Rochdale. This vehicle will be a gateway to electrifying their fleet alongside plans to decarbonise many aspects of the council’s operations.
The vehicle will be used by the Refuse team to deliver replacement wheelie bins to households across the borough of Tameside. They have a long history of choosing environmentally friendly and low carbon options for equipment, and are looking forward to putting the vehicle through its paces and giving drivers a chance to try out an electric HGV.
Delivering supplies to hospitals across Birmingham and Solihull. With high expectations about the improved reliability and contribution it will make towards the NHS’s net zero goals, the team and drivers are very excited about the vehicle’s addition to the fleet.
Based in Wakefield, the vehicles will be used to delivers all supplies necessary to run schools in north west England. They are expecting to see benefits in both reliability and cost of running, and will contribute to reducing vehicle emissions around schools.
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