Held from July 1-5, EV Rally 2024 saw 50 vehicles of varying sizes and types set off from Oldbury in the West Midlands, on a tour that took in visits to 26 locations corresponding to every letter of the alphabet – albeit with some creative licence when it came to the letters x and z.
Although the event was open to all electric vehicles, just two trucks took part, Mercedes-Benz eActros and DAF LF Electric, with the eActros being the only tractor unit.
Day one involved a 258-mile drive via five intermediate checkpoints to finish in Carlisle. Day two’s route covered 285 miles, ending at the Daimler Truck UK complex at Wentworth Park, near Sheffield.
Day three held the longest single day’s drive, at 366 miles on a circuitous route to Cambridge, while the fourth instalment saw participants cover 315 miles to Exeter. Finally, the last stint of 265 e-miles brought the participants through Wales to the finish line in Chester.
The eActros also visited many of the national network of Mercedes-Benz truck dealers on its journey around the country.
Image: Mercedes-Benz Trucks
Daimler Truck UK Head of Future Sustainability, James Venables, was among the eActros driving team. He was interviewed at the end of day two by Sara Sloman, of the EV Rally Media Crew, who observed: “You’ve definitely stolen the show this year – whenever the eActros turns up, heads turn.”
James agreed and added: “The truck is big, bold and exciting and taking part in this event has been great fun but, more importantly, we’ve proved that our engineers are right when they say the truck can cover 500 km on a single charge.
“The EV Rally is all about showcasing today’s electric vehicles and the fact that a multi-day marathon journey is very much achievable, using the current network of charging points. As the national infrastructure develops that will only get easier.”
Image: DAF
DAF Trucks’ 19-tonne GVW DAF LF Electric once again flew the flag for the market-leader, having proved its performance credentials on last year’s EV Rally. The vehicle is also fresh from the recent Battery Electric Truck Trial (BETT) – an 18-month fact-finding study into the efficacy of EVs in operation – where 20 DAF LF Electrics entered service with a range of public bodies including the NHS and Local Authorities.
The same vehicle also starred in DAF Trucks’ own EV Relay – a whistle-stop tour of its UK DAF dealer network to present the vehicle to specialist sales and service staff, in addition to various other customer demonstrations. The truck has consistently delivered outstanding reliability and single-charge range performance, with Team DAF confident of another exceptional outcome.
The DAF LF Electric is equipped with a PACCAR box-body, designed and manufactured in Britain at Leyland Trucks. Team DAF is supported by its own TRP electric van acting as a support vehicle; one of 125+ parts vans supporting the distribution network for TRP, the all-makes truck, trailer, LCV, lubricants and consumables programme from PACCAR.
“The EV Rally certainly grabbed the attention of the truck industry last year,” said Adam Bennett, EV and sustainability Manager at DAF Trucks, “and this year’s event is bigger and better, and perhaps even a little more challenging given the extended route. Our LF Electric is a proven performer, however, and we’re confident that the 19.0-tonner will take the five days in its stride.”
