The leading supplier of materials to the UK building and construction industry has just commissioned two eVito models for operation from one of its branches in Edinburgh . They have replaced a pair of emissions-free E-CELL variants that were based on the previous Vito model range and had been in service since 2015 !

Travis Perkins Managed Services is a supply chain partner to local authority and social landlords nationwide . Its contract with the City of Edinburgh Council , on which the new vans are now working , is serviced from a facility in the port area of Leith .

The long L2 eVito variants arrived , like their predecessors , via Intercounty Truck & Van , a trusted partner to Travis Perkins for the last 13 years . They are out each morning delivering materials to contractors responsible for maintaining and repairing the City of Edinburgh Council ’ s stock of housing and other properties .

Intercounty Truck & Van also provided its high-profile customer with a larger , L2 ( medium length ), H2 ( high roof ) eSprinter demonstration unit , which underwent a month-long evaluation at the same depot in Leith , and at another Managed Services location in Stockton-on-Tees .

Introduced towards the end of last year , the 3.5-tonne eSprinter is the latest addition to the Mercedes-Benz Vans range . Given the additional load volume it

offers , compared to the 3.2-tonne eVito , it represents a more attractive long-term proposition for Travis Perkins . The eSprinter ’ s cargo area of 11m ³ is identical to its diesel-engined , front-wheel drive stablemate , and half a cubic metre larger than its rear-wheel drive equivalent .

Andrew Hollingsworth , Travis Perkins ’ Fleet Business Partner for Scotland and Northern England , explained : “ We ’ ll be running the eVito vans for another year in Edinburgh , but it ’ s the eSprinter that we ’ re really excited about .

“ We carry a lot of bulky items so tend to be more focused on volume than payload . The eSprinter can take 3.0-metre worktops and longer lengths of timber , as well as 8ft x 4ft sheets of plywood and other materials . “ We ’ d been looking forward to getting our hands on one and seeing how it performed , and it didn ’ t disappoint . The vehicle did everything we ’ d hoped , and the feedback from both of the depots that took part in the trial was resoundingly positive .”

Intercounty Truck & Van ’ s demonstrator was certainly a hit with the three colleagues at Travis Perkins ’ Leith branch who put the van through its paces . Asked to rate its overall drive Contracts Manager Guy Cruickshanks and Gary Halliday both awarded it 10 out of 10 , while Thomas Garland gave it a nine .

The eSprinter is powered by a 114 hp electric motor that

drives the front wheels . Its 55 kWh high-voltage battery pack is securely mounted beneath the body , so does not impinge on cargo carrying space . The van will travel 95 miles ( combined WLTP with 80 km / h speed limiter ) on a single charge , which is ample for the majority of urban delivery and last mile applications ; recuperative energy recovered when decelerating supplements the batteries ’ output .

Now superseded , the Vito E-CELL was the world ’ s first battery-powered light commercial

vehicle to be built on-line at a mainstream production facility . As an early adopter of this ground-breaking technology Travis Perkins highlighted its commitment to carbon reduction and support for the City of Edinburgh Council ’ s environmental targets .

The eVito brings Mercedes- Benz Vans ’ electric drivetrain technology up to date . Travis Perkins ’ new vans offer 905 kg payload capacities , while sliding doors on both sides , and twin rear doors , provide easy access to up to 6.0m ³ of cargo space .

Like the eSprinter , the eVito is powered by an electric motor that produces 114 hp and drives the front wheels via a single-speed automatic transmission . Acceleration is instantaneous . Top speed is restricted as standard to 50 mph ( 80 km / h ), but can be increased on request . The steering wheel-mounted selectors allow drivers to choose between C , E and E + ( Comfort , Eco and Extended range ) settings . The eVito will cover an average of 92 miles between recharges ; as with the eSprinter recuperative energy captured when braking can extend its range .

Andrew Hollingsworth continued : “ We ’ re really passionate at Travis Perkins about driving carbon out of our own business and our supply chain , and working on a challenging path to reach net zero carbon . We ’ re already engaged in a number of initiatives designed to reduce our carbon footprint ; for example , wherever possible we now buy only electric fork-lift trucks .

“ Electric vans are clearly going to play an increasingly important role in our business , particularly in urban areas where low-emission zones are becoming increasingly common . Mercedes-Benz is already our preferred van brand and although the higher mileages involved means range remains an issue for our retail branch operations , the eSprinter looks to be ideally suited to work on Managed Services contracts nationwide .”

www . travisperkins . co . uk