Some Assembly Required

Businessman Denis Sverdlov just unveiled an electric delivery truck that could be seen on UK streets by as early as next year. Sverdlov is the chief executive of Charge, the firm responsible for this truck, and he says they "are making trucks the way they should be — affordable, elegant, quiet, clean and safe."

The truck is an electric vehicle built from lightweight composite materials, which reduce the weight of the vehicle. It comes with a modular design, meaning that it can easily be customized before assembly. Best of all? Charge claims that a single person can build the truck in just four hours.

Credit: Charge

It is "autonomous-ready" for when self-driving regulations are in place. The UK government plans on having self-driving cars travelling UK streets by 2020. Charge's self-drive software was developed along with the vehicle itself and can be uploaded the instant the regulations become official.

Sverdlov also plans on focusing on affordability, so that the vehicle could give "every fleet manager, tradesperson or company, no matter how big or small, the opportunity to change the way they transport goods and make our towns and cities better places to live in."

Redefining The Truck

Charge plans on opening a factory in Oxfordshire next year, where 10,000 units will be assembled in its first year. They also say that other variants will be developed ranging from 3.5 to 26 tonnes.

"We find trucks today totally unacceptable. Loud, polluting and unfriendly," says Sverdlov. The truck could change all that as its electrical motor is silent and does not emit harmful gases into the atmosphere.

Its autonomy on the road could mean less road accidents caused by human error, and the UK's plans for its release on its roads show a reduction of policy roadblocks to the adoption of self-driving cars.


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