Feast Your Eyes on the Cute Electric UPS Trucks of the Future
will soon have the cutest logistics truck on the road.
The company on Wednesday announced a partnership UK-based technology company Arrival to develop what it calls a “pilot fleet” of 35 electric trucks. The electric UPS trucks have zero tailpipe emissions and a range of 150 miles on a single charge. They’ll also come with Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) that, UPS says, will ultimately identify and address driver fatigue to improve safety on the roads.
But perhaps the most important feature in the electric trucks is their design. Gone are the days of boxy, ugly UPS trucks. The new electric UPS trucks are still in the familiar UPS brown color and have the company’s logo on the side, but have soft curves all around. The trucks have a flat front and big, tinted windows that could improve the driver’s ability to see traffic and obstacles on the road. And, as I said earlier, the new UPS trucks are downright cute.
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In a statement on Wednesday, UPS said that using electric vehicles and other green technologies is a priority for the company as it looks ahead. UPS currently has more than 9,000 vehicles on roads around the world and moving to electric vehicles could dramatically reduce its carbon footprint.
To be clear, these wouldn’t be the first electric vehicles in the UPS fleet. The company currently has more than 300 electric vehicles in Europe and the U.S., as well as 700 hybrids.
UPS said in its statement that Arrival has been working with the company since 2016 to develop vehicle prototypes. The company credited Arrival with being the first European car manufacturer to build a truck to its spec.
The UPS-Arrival pilot program will kick off with 35 electric delivery vehicles cruising streets across London and Paris. UPS hopes to have the first trucks on the road by the end of this year.
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