Business
Launch of Zero Emission Van
Launch of Zero Emission Van.
About this update from Tanfield Group Plc
[{"type":"text","content":"\n Tanfield Group PLC\n23 April 2007\n\n23 April 2007\n\n\n\n The Tanfield Group Plc\n\n ('Tanfield' or 'the Group')\n\n\n\n LAUNCH OF EDISON ELECTRIC ZERO EMISSION VAN &\n\n NEW CONTRACT WINS\n\n\n\nTanfield, the leading manufacturer of zero emission electric vehicles and aerial\nwork platforms, is pleased to announce the successful launch of its Edison zero\nemission electric van. Tanfield has today also secured its first contracts for\ninitial orders of Edison with Sainbury's, TNT, CEVA Logistics and Scottish &\nSouthern Energy.\n\n\n\nJ Sainsbury Plc ('Sainsbury's'), a leading UK retailer, has ordered an initial\neight Edison electric vans for its Sainsbury's Online home shopping delivery\nfleet. Sainsbury's aims to switch 20% of its urban delivery fleet to electric\nvehicles by September 2008 and its entire urban home shopping fleet by 2010.\n\n\n\nThe order follows a year-long trial by Sainsbury's of the Faraday zero emission\nelectric vehicle, a larger van based on a different chassis and also produced by\nTanfield's trading division, Smith Electric Vehicles. Sainsbury's Online\ndeployed the Faraday in home shopping delivery applications in Central London.\n\n\n\nThe Edison electric van utilises a Ford Transit Body shell, housing Tanfield's\nhigher function electric vehicle technology. It has a restricted top speed of\n50mph and a range of up to 150 miles on one battery charge. Tanfield has signed\na supply agreement with Ford that will see Smith Electric Vehicles convert an\ninitial 100 Ford Transit Body shells to battery-powered Edison vans.\n\n\n\nTanfield has received further confirmed orders for Edison from parcel and\nlogistics companies TNT Express and CEVA Logistics (formerly TNT Logistics), who\nhave both already deployed Tanfield's Newton 7.5t electric vehicle.\n\n\n\nScottish & Southern Energy, one of the UK's largest energy companies, has also\nordered the Edison for use in its fleet of 6,000 commercial vehicles.\n\n\n\nSimon Skeet, Operations Manager for Sainsbury's Online, said:\n\n\n\n'Thorough testing during the trial has given us a unique insight into the\nvehicle's capabilities and has demonstrated that we can potentially take\nhundreds of conventional vans out of our urban delivery fleet.\n\n\n\nOur fleet will start small but the long term plans mean that by 2010, all our\ndelivery vans oper...