UPS Installs Smart Chargers in London for Electric Delivery Trucks

The delivery company, UPS, is installing a new smart charging solution at its site in the city of London, UK that will enable it to increase the amount of electric delivery trucks from 65 to 170. The solution combines a sophisticated network capacity assessment tool with battery storage, ensuring the depot’s electricity demand will not exceed the network’s limit. The system adopts an “intelligent” approach to charging by spreading this throughout the night so that the building can use the power it needs while ensuring that all EVs are fully charged by the time they are needed in the morning.

The new smart charging solution is the result of the Smart Electric Urban Logistics (SEUL) project with UK Power Networks and Cross River Partnership, with funding secured from the UK’s Office for Low Emission Vehicles.

Peter Harris, UPS Europe’s Director of Sustainability, said, “UPS thinks this is a world first, right in the heart of a mega-city. We are using new technology to work around some big obstacles to electric vehicle deployment, heralding a new generation of sustainable urban delivery services both here in London and in other major cities around the world. Electric vehicles are an integral component within UPS’s alternative fuel and advanced technology fleet. Our collaboration with UK Power Networks and Cross River Partnership marks a major turning point in the cost effective deployment of electric vehicles which in turn will play a key role in ensuring the global trend toward urbanization is sustainable. We are applying new technology to make the charging process smarter and our delivery service cleaner.”