Royal Mail testing two 19-tonne electric lorries


Royal Mail is trialling two new 19-tonne electric trucks to evaluate their performance alongside its diesel fleet, marking a significant step in decarbonising its national distribution network. The trial, in collaboration with Magtec, is backed by an £800,000 grant from the Advanced Propulsion Centre UK, supported by the Department for Business and Trade and Innovate UK.

The first truck will operate from Greenford Mail Centre in northwest London, covering collections and deliveries to local depots. With a flexible battery range of up to 125 miles, it’s designed to handle typical urban routes efficiently.

Anna Pearson, Royal Mail’s fleet innovation and environment manager, said: “We’ve been rolling out electric vans in our ‘final mile’ fleet for a number of years, and now we want to learn more about how we can decarbonise our national distribution fleet of over 4000 trucks.”


Magtec’s new Gen2 driveline builds on proven EV technology, promising greater efficiency and reliability. CTO Marcus Jenkins said: “By addressing the challenges of power inefficiencies and range anxiety, we aim to provide fleet operators with a reliable, cost-effective solution.”

Royal Mail already operates over 6000 electric vans and aims to have 7000 by July 2025, all powered by 100% renewable electricity.

Its broader ‘Steps to Zero’ strategy targets Net-Zero by 2040, with an interim aim of halving Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2030.

The Magtec trial further strengthens Royal Mail’s position as the UK's largest electric delivery fleet operator.

FleetWise will continue to report on the performance of Electric HGVs as the technology and market develops, for the benefit of fleet managers

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