As reported in our sister brand Commercial Motor, Chinese truck and bus builder Yutong will introduce a new battery-powered 7.5-tonne truck range into the UK in 2025, as the company builds on its success in the UK electric bus and coach sector.
The truck, called the T75e will make its public debut at Road Transport Expo in June 2025 and will be imported into the UK by Pelican Engineering, the company responsible for establishing the market rise of the Yutong city bus and coach.
“This is a very exciting development for us,” explains Richard Crump, Managing Director at Pelican Engineering. “If the UK is to satisfy its Net Zero ambitions, then the decarbonisation of the commercial vehicle sector is a crucial part of the jigsaw. We believe the 7.5-tonne sector is the easiest sector to electrify and the Yutong truck chassis, combined with our cost-effective Charger and battery storage solution from Pelican AE Auto, brings operators a readymade solution for their zero emission needs.”
Pelican has over 100 years’ experience in the commercial vehicle sector supporting some of the leading brands with a sales and service solution. The company began importing the Yutong bus range into the UK in 2014 and has grown its market volumes and share every year since. It now has over 800 electric buses on the UK roads, with many of the major bus fleets putting their trust in Yutong and Pelican.
“As with the bus and coach sector, we will be working with the Yutong service team, based in the UK to bring the trucks to market. We intend to service and maintain the new vehicles through a combination of strategically located vehicle management units, supported by the team at our Castleford head office,” continues Crump, explaining the company has invested heavily in aftersales and parts supply to support the venture. “Clearly as we grow our truck market footprint, we will continue to expand the service offering and we will be appointing new sales and service agents in due course.”
There will be two battery options available of the Yutong offer 100kW and 132kW of available energy – the higher battery capacity version will have a range of over 180 miles on a full charge. The unladen chassis-cab weight of the 100kW is under 3000kg and the vehicle has been developed to be compatible with a range of body types covering the key UK sectors such as box, tipper, curtainside and insulated bodies.
Yutong is the biggest bus and coach builders in the world and the second largest zero emission truck builder in China. The company is based in Zhengzhou, Henan province and has established a reputation for building premium products. The company employs over 50,000 people at its factory and is present in over 100 countries across the globe.
Exclusive first look
We visited the Yutong factory in China last week for a first look at the new battery electric vehicle in right drive format. From what we’ve seen of the scale of the manufacturing facility and the build quality of the vehicles, this is a serious new entrant into the 7.5t truck sector. For the driver, the focus is on comfort with good seat adjustment, a plush interior and 12” multi-function control panel. The chassis layout is clean, with batteries mounted within the chassis rails and the electronic control module sat under the cab. We understand the first demonstrator vehicles will land in the UK in February, with vehicles going into customers in April.
The new Yutong T75e will be unveiled to the public at Road Transport Expo, which takes place in Stoneleigh, 24-26 June 2025. www.roadtransportexpo.co.uk
