Loafing around

Bread giant Warburtons has taken delivery of its first fully electric truck. It’s a Renault D Z.E – a 16-ton 4x2 rigid featuring a box body and tail lift that has a maximum electric range of around 90 miles. Power comes from a 200kWh battery pack that feeds a 185kW electric motor.

The really important bit, however, is payload. Sixteen tons is an unusual size for a truck (7.5, 12 and 18 tonners are more popular) so it’s not easy to make a direct comparison between the Renault’s six-ton payload and a conventional diesel’s. An 18-tonner can carry roughly nine tons so that gives you an idea of how much payload is lost to the weight of batteries.