Rotherham-based Magtec receives multi-million pound order for fleet of 7.5 tonne electric trucks

Andrew Gilligan, managing director of Magtec, said: “We are thrilled to be working with ETRUX and helping to meet increasing demand for zero emissions transport.

“We are very proud of the MEV75, which is the ideal solution for clean urban logistics operations.”

The MEV75 is fully tested, meaning it is eligible for a government plug-in grant, offering fleet managers a discounted purchase price and reduced monthly finance option.

It is designed for daily urban operations including last-mile logistics, waste collection and refrigerated deliveries. Its standard 80kWh version has a range of up to 100km, a charge time of up to four hours and a life cycle of up to 10 years.

Magtec has also designed and manufactured the full electric drive system in the MEV75.

Gerard Galvin, managing director of ETRUX, said: “We are hugely excited to be offering the MEV75 to fleet operators, which will help them to meet net zero targets.

“This groundbreaking agreement with Magtec signifies our commitment to the advancement of the market for electric commercial vehicles.”

ETRUX is a vehicle conversion specialist and rental fleet operator which aims to help public and private sector organisations to reduce carbon emissions in their fleet operations.

It plans to make the MEV75 available to customers through its growing sales network.

Magtec secured GB Small Series Approval for the MEV75 earlier this year in a significant milestone for the company. The scheme is applicable for manufacturers wishing to place vehicles and components on the market in Great Britain.

The news comes after last month, Magtec was hired by Tootbus to repower a fleet of 15 open top double-decker buses for its services in central London.

Magtec plans to equip the 23-tonne triaxle buses with high-tech electric drive trains including its long-range 280 kWh battery system.

Each vehicle will operate hop-on, hop-off routes and cover more than 70 miles per day in and around Westminster.

Magtec had previously supplied an electric drive system for one of Tootbus’ smaller vehicles, an 18-tonne dual axle bus.

In its latest results, posted in August of this year, Magtec’s turnover landed at almost £23 million, up from £10.9 million for the previous year.

The firm’s pre-tax profit, however, was down from £1.2 million to just under £1 million.

The company said that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine had caused “continuous escalating price pressure and inflation” across all areas, including significant increases in the prices of components and parts.

It also noted that in some markets, customer demand was being constrained by the long lead time to get electric vehicle charging infrastructure implemented.

EBITDA for the firm saw a strong turnaround, with landing at almost £874,000, up from a loss of almost £674,000 the year prior.

The firm also spent over £6 million in the year on research and development.