Marks & Spencer and its transport subsidiary, Gist, have begun the phased introduction of 10 Daf XD Electric trucks, with five vehicles already deployed.
The 10 vehicles are being put into service across two core logistics operations, with five units assigned to fashion, home and beauty distribution and five allocated to retail food movements.
These XD Electric tractors are equipped with a five-battery pack 525 kWh of energy storage delivering 462kWh of usable capacity.
One of the vehicles is fitted with an integrated inverter that draws power from the vehicle’s main DC battery and converts it into AC electricity. This enables the trailer’s refrigeration unit to be powered directly from the truck.
In real-world operation, the vehicle currently in service is consistently achieving up to 300 miles on a single charge, with planned daily ranges expected to sit between 250 and 300 miles depending on route profile, load weight and operating conditions.
Depending on location and duty cycle, the trucks will run on both single- and double-shift patterns, supporting annual mileages of about 100,000 kilometres per vehicle.
Routes will primarily focus on short- to medium-distance trunking and distribution work, enabling charging to be planned efficiently around depot operations.
The project is being supported through the eFreight 2030 project, part of the UK Government’s Zero Emission HGV and Infrastructure Demonstrator (ZEHID) programme, funded by the Department for Transport (DfT) and delivered in partnership with Innovate UK.
Mick Pethard, M&S group fleet manager, said, “We’re not just trialling electric anymore – with the XD Electric, we’re scaling-up.
“The real-world range we’re seeing, combined with strong driver acceptance, means electric tractor units are becoming a practical solution for mainstream logistics.”
