Zenobe

With operations in the UK, Australasia and Europe, Zenobe Energy is involved in some 50 fleet electrification project and supports around 25% of Britain’s electric bus operations. Key customers include National Express.

Zenobe’s ETaaS (Electric Transport-asa-Service) package provides clients with a charging infrastructure, the necessary software, and replacement batteries. It plays a leading role in repurposing electric vehicle batteries after their first life, giving businesses the ability to store power that they can call on as and when required.

Says Zenobe founder director, Nicholas Beatty: “We’re delighted to have been chosen to embark on this journey of decarbonisation alongside Vertellus.”

Bath and North East Somerset council is consulting stakeholders about its plan to charge operators who want to send Euro VI trucks grossing at above 12 tonnes into the city’s Clean Air Zone £50 per truck per day. Firms with pre-EuroVI trucks have faced a £100 daily levy since the CAZ was launched in 2021.

Electric trucks are exempt from such charges.

If work has to be tendered for, then operators are increasingly discovering that tender documents include questions about how they are cutting their carbon footprints. The response that they are trialling an electric truck may go some way towards answering these enquiries.

Electric trucks boast lower maintenance costs than diesels, and their batteries are lasting for longer than some experts expected. Renault guarantees that the batteries it fits will operate for up to ten years or deliver 300 megawatts of energy during the vehicle’s lifetime.

No matter whether they have signed up to the Discovery programme or not, if transport fleets are considering going electric then Vertellus can review their activities to determine whether the technology can meet their needs.

If it can, then the company can provide a suite of services which includes maintenance as well as the trucks themselves and the charging infrastructure. Optional extras include replacement vehicles, tyre management, driver training, dealing with penalty charge notices, telematics, and fleet monitoring with an online portal.

Vertellus can arrange 24/7 breakdown cover and supply a truck to stand in for one that is going for its MoT test. Customers are supported by Renault Trucks dealers plus a number of approved partners around the UK adding up to over 60 locations.

The manufacturer’s electric line-up is steadily expanding, with production

• (L to R) Carlos Rodrigues Managing Director, Renault Trucks

Nigel Baxter Managing Director, Vertellus

Nicholas Beatty Founder Director, Zenobe of E-Tech T and C tractor units and rigids grossing at up to 44 tonnes scheduled to begin towards the end of 2023.

Vertellus managing director, Nigel Baxter, is also managing director of Nottingham-based Renault Trucks dealership R H Commercial Vehicles. He says: “We understand that when it comes to switching to an electric contract hire fleet there is so much more for a business to think about than if it is simply acquiring diesels. That is why we have designed the Discovery programme to remove the complexity and hassle from the transition so operators can accelerate the process of reducing the carbon footprints of their fleets.

“Introducing electric models across an entire fleet is likely to happen in stages. That is why the programme identifies operations and sectors where this technology can work for companies, and provides them with an opportunity to hire battery vehicles and test them in their own day-to-day working environments.

“We’re taking away the risk.”