drbubb Posted July 2, 2007 Report Share Posted July 2, 2007 June 25, 2007 An electric delivery van has been developed (see image 2, right) that has greater acceleration than any diesel-powered equivalent and a top speed of 50mph (80km/h). A Tyneside company that has made almost all of Britain’s milkfloats since the Second World War is switching its production line to making vans for supermarket home deliveries. Sainsbury’s has ordered eight electric vans and has pledged to have 200 by September next year and 1,000 by 2010, allowing it to claim that none of its deliveries in urban areas will cause any air pollution. TNT, the parcel delivery company, has ordered 55 and Royal Mail is testing two with a view to converting much of its city fleet to electricity. The battery-powered vans reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 40 per cent and can be zero-emission if the electricity is purchased from renewable sources such as wind and wave power. One problem is that the vans are too quiet. The only sound they generate comes from the tyres on the road. With an acceleration of 0-30mph in six seconds, the vehicles could prove dangerous in urban areas. When The Times took one for a test drive in Central London last week, it was essential to keep a sharp eye out for pedestrians. But the manufacturer, Smith Electric Vehicles, of Washington, Tyne and Wear, believes that it has a solution. It is working with the University of Durham to produce a broadband device that projects artificially generated engine noise in front of the vehicle to alert people about to step into the road. The noise cannot be heard to the side or rear of the vehicle. ...more: http://driving.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_...icle1980350.ece Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drbubb Posted July 2, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 2, 2007 TANFIELD may be in this sector too! Oh well, they are only Journalists, almost everything they said was inaccurate! Smiths were by no means the only milk float manufacturer and part of the payload is consumed by the battery weight, but not space as they are under the floor. Still the more publicity the better. 2/ I had that thought with the supermarkets, so, to help them I now return all my excess packaging to them, in one of their carrier bags; junk mail - I just send it back as 'Not known at this address' so,I really do hope they can all use my 'junk mail' to the advantage of their delivery vans ..... Tanfield vans - of course! @: http://www.iii.co.uk/investment/detail/?di...le&pageno=4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beerhunter Posted July 2, 2007 Report Share Posted July 2, 2007 Tesco have also announced (in a blaze of publicity) a similar electric van... actually if you read the details, they are trialling a few for one store. One problem is that the vans are too quiet. The only sound they generate comes from the tyres on the road. With an acceleration of 0-30mph in six seconds, the vehicles could prove dangerous in urban areas. This is definitely true.. as a cyclist (who maintains his bike so there are no creaks or other sounds emitting from it) I have observed that pedestrians exhibit brownian motion if there is no vechile noise can be heard. It is working with the University of Durham to produce a broadband device that projects artificially generated engine noise in front of the vehicle to alert people about to step into the road. The noise cannot be heard to the side or rear of the vehicle. Can I buy one of my bike please? .. or should I go back to the 70's and use a couple of clothes pegs and a top trump card Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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