The prototype was designed by the UK’s leading provider of road safety services and built at depots in West Yorkshire and Staffordshire.
Unveiled at the LGRIG Innovation Festival, WJ Group believes its fully electric thermoplastic road marking truck is the first of its kind anywhere on the planet. The technology forms a significant part of the firm’s plans to hit net zero for scope 1 and scope 2 emissions by 2032, and is expected to become available to customers soon.
Alongside zero-emission installation, the vehicle uses low carbon road marking products to further bring footprints down for highways authorities already under pressure to improve environmental records. The revolutionary design was developed by the organisation’s internal vehicle and plant team, and built at depots in Elland, West Yorkshire, and Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire.
Alongside electric vehicle modification based on the familiar Iveco chassis, carried out by Electra Commercial Vehicles, WJ Group has also replaced the old gas burners used to heat road marking products with electric systems. This makes it possible to keep material at optimal temperatures during installation. Costing £500,000 so far, a price tag for the commercial rollout has not been confirmed at the time of writing.
‘By launching the world’s first fully electric thermoplastic road marking truck, we are offering a completely new and innovative solution to help our industry partners keep sustainability at the heart of their decisions,’ said Wayne Johnston, CEO at WJ Group.
‘Combined with our thermoplastic road marking products using bio-based binders, councils can significantly reduce their emissions in line with their own net zero timelines,’ he continued. ‘Our EV Truck is the first step towards a fully electric fleet – eliminating the need for fossil fuel powered equipment. I’m proud that we are leading the industry towards a cleaner, brighter tomorrow.’
Image: WJ Group
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