John G Russell welcomes first electric articulated vehicles to its fleet

John G Russell (Transport) has announced the arrival of three fully electric articulated vehicles. The investment is supported by partial grant funding through Zenfreight (Innovate UK) and technical expertise from Dynamon.

The new vehicles are 100% zero emission at the tailpipe, built on a 4×2 tractor unit configuration and capable of carrying a full 42 tonne load. Each unit delivers an impressive range of over 430 km per full charge. Current CCS charging technology enables a full recharge in just 40 minutes, with a planned upgrade to Megawatt Charging (MCS) in July 2026 set to cut charging time to just 20 minutes. This combination of long range and rapid charging removes range anxiety and maximises vehicle utilisation.

To support the new fleet, Russell is installing two 720 kW double port chargers and one 1.2 MW double port charger, the latter being the first of its kind in Scotland and only the second in the UK. (See full story here).

Environmental responsibility is central to Russell’s operations. The company has long promoted modal shift from road to rail via its UK rail network, reducing the carbon footprint in the movement of goods. Recognising that road transport remains essential to many logistics solutions, the company continues to invest in alternative-fuelled vehicles beyond traditional diesel, running extensive trials with battery electric (BEV), compressed natural gas (CNG), liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and hydrogen technologies.

Working in close partnership with Tesco, Russell is helping to reduce the end to end carbon impact of its supply chain. Deploying the new BEVs accelerates Russell’s journey to net zero and supports its sustainability blueprint of short road miles and national load distribution through rail.

The BEVs will operate on Russell’s services for Tesco in Scotland, enabling deliveries with zero tailpipe emissions to and from the Tesco Livingston Distribution Centre. Return trips to Russell’s Coatbridge rail hub will carry Tesco store deliveries for onward rail transport. This complements Tesco’s existing electric locomotive freight service from Daventry to Coatbridge and represents another major step towards lower emissions transport.