Yutong is continuing its UK market development with the introduction of a new battery-powered 7.5-tonne truck in the first half of 2025. Yutong, along with sales and service partner Pelican Engineering has enjoyed significant market success in the bus and coach sector over the past 10 years, securing a market leading position in battery-powered public service vehicles and is now set to bring a truck to the market.
The new truck will be launched in Q2 2025 and will be sold and serviced 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 provided by Pelican AEAUTO, brings operators a readymade solution for their zero emission needs.”
Pelican Engineering is a long-established family business with a strong reputation for high quality commercial vehicle sales and service. The company has over 100 years’ experience in the commercial vehicle sector representing many different leading brands since its formation in 1919.
The company was appointed as Yutong’s sole UK and Ireland importer and distributor in 2014 and has since sold over 1,500 buses and coaches; 800 of which are battery electric, 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 these 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.”
The truck will be called the Yutong T75e and has the option of a 100kW or 132kW battery. The higher battery capacity version will have a range of over 180 miles. The unladen chassis-cab weight is under 3,000kg and the vehicle has been developed to be compatible with a range of body types covering the key UK sectors such as box, tipper, curtain side, compaction and insulated bodies with three different ePTO options.
Yutong is the largest bus and coach manufacturer in the world with approximately 12% share of the global market. It is also the second largest zero emission truck builder in China. The company, based in Zhengzhou, made its first electric bus in 1999 and this powertrain and technology has evolved and gone on to be applied to a wide range of commercial vehicles. Yutong wholly owns and controls the key component supply chain, manufacturing in-house the motor, motor controller, e-drive axle and battery packs 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.
