Bradshaw EV celebrates 50 years of electric vehicles
A quiet powerhouse of the UK’s electric vehicle industry is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Peterborough-based Bradshaw EV has been at the heart of the electric vehicle revolution since 1976. The company focuses mainly on the commercial vehicle sector, and it led the way long before the movement gathered pace.
From dairy farm to electric pioneer
Bradshaw’s story begins with founder John Bradshaw milking cows on his father’s dairy farm. He rose at 4am every day and milked twice daily. All the while, he dreamed of putting his passion for engines, motorbikes and cars to profitable use.
The roots go back further still. In 1935, his father, John Bradshaw Senior, borrowed and scraped together enough money to buy 300 acres of farmland in Stibbington, near Peterborough. That farm became the foundation for the business as we know it today.
History on the doorstep
Bradshaw still operates from the same site more than 90 years on, and remnants of its past remain visible. The offices stand on the site of the former dairy parlour, where John Junior dreamed of another world as he milked the cows. During the Second World War, the farm housed German prisoners of war. Today, the reception area still displays two small wooden toys, a model aeroplane and a tank, which the prisoners made on the site.
Growing beyond the farm gate
In 1973, John Junior bought a second-hand digger for use on the farm. He soon earned more by hiring it out to neighbouring farms, so he invested in more machines. By the late 1970s, John Bradshaw Plant Ltd had grown into a large plant hire operation.
The business grew beyond John’s dreams. He opened a depot in Fraserburgh, Scotland, where his team deepened the harbour for the boats servicing the North Sea gas pipeline. He also exported rice harvesters to China and weed-cutting boats to Egypt and Australia.
Ford Motor Company became Bradshaw’s first industrial customer in those early days, and it still places orders today. Its first order, a T200, and its current orders sit 50 years apart. Reliability, practicality and durability have underpinned the relationship throughout.
Built to last
Bradshaw’s electric vehicles have a reputation for longevity. The fleet at Hinchingbrooke Hospital includes vehicles that are still running after more than two decades. Huge trucks designed for use in cable tunnels 40 metres below London’s streets remain in service more than 15 years after engineers lowered them down in three stages.
Bradshaw now employs a 70-strong workforce. Its reach extends into local authority premises, utility sites, airports, campuses, schools, warehouses, logistics and distribution centres, and even a paper mill.
Looking ahead
Ramsy Labassi, Marketing Manager, said: “Reaching 50 years in business is a huge milestone for us as a company. When Bradshaw was first formed in the 1970s the family had a vision which wasn’t shared at the time – that electric vehicles were very much the future. The business was ahead of the market – perhaps in some ways it was too ahead of its time in those early days.
“Looking ahead, our ambition is to continue championing the electric vehicle industry and driving greater adoption across industrial and site operations. We’ve seen first-hand the impact our vehicles have delivered to generations of organisations, towns, cities, institutions and local authorities and that will only continue to grow. As the transition to electric gathers pace, we are incredibly excited to see what new technologies come to the fore and in true keeping to our vision we will be there to ensure the needs of customers both existing and new are catered for.”
