Solar-based transport technology provider TRAILAR has retrofitted a photovoltaic (PV) system on five Guernsey Post trucks to power ancillary equipment such as the vehicle’s tail lift.
The modified vehicles include three 8.5-ton Mitsubishi Fuso canter trucks, a 7.5-ton Iveco Eurocargo, and a 3.5-ton Mercedes Sprinter van. The ultra-thin solar panels have been fitted to the roof of the cargo area where they will feed clean energy to the vehicle battery. This will result in the reduction of approximately one ton of CO2 emissions per vehicle each year.
Robert Le Page, fleet manager of Guernsey Post, said, “We are really proud of our electric delivery fleet, and we wanted to expand this to our larger vehicles too. Unfortunately, A medium duty electric truck that fits our needs is some way off mass production so as an interim measure we looked at what we could do to reduce emissions now on the daily journeys we make to and from the airport and harbor. TRAILAR’s technology provides us with a solution and supports our aim to reduce emissions and deliver an industry leading sustainable transport operation.”
Paul Horton, business development manager, TRAILAR, added, “It’s been great to work with a business that is as focused on driving sustainability within all areas of its operation as Guernsey Post are. We look forward to seeing the live data reporting back on the vehicles performance, as they now become operational within the fleet.”
