TG Lynes has further improved the sustainability and versatility of its fleet by investing in a new electric dropside van.

The leading heating, plumbing and air movement materials supplier has purchased a dropside Ford E-Transit, which is being used predominantly for daily deliveries into Central London.

The van has a range of up to 150 miles and a payload of 750kg.

It can be charged on-site at TG Lynes’ Enfield base. On a sunny day, all of the required electricity comes from the business’ high-performance solar panels.

John O’Connell, Transport Supervisor at TG Lynes, said the vehicle was already proving very useful.

“The E-Transit is very versatile and its range is easily enough to use for deliveries within Central London. It drives very well and we have found it particularly good in the W1 and EC postcodes where roads are constrictive and space is at a premium.

“We’ve moved towards dropsides in recent years as they are capable of carrying pipe up to six metres in length, compared to just four metres for panel vans.

“The most important thing for us is to have a fleet that is as versatile and as sustainable as possible. This new addition will help us to lower our carbon footprint even further, while improving service for our customers.”

John said the E-Transit was taking around two-and-a-half hours to charge to full.

TG Lynes has six different vehicle options available in its fleet, ranging right from Class 2 18 tonne DAF lorries to an e-bike.

More than 30% of the fleet is now powered by renewable energy, including two of the 18 tonne lorries which use HVO, a cleaner alternative to diesel that is manufactured from 100 per cent renewable and sustainable waste, including vegetable oil, tallow and used cooking oil.

“Sustainability is one of the core values of the business and it’s something we take very seriously,” said John.

“We will continue to analyse our delivery data to ensure our vehicles match the ever-evolving demands of our customers, while we are also examining the possibility of installing batteries on site to store power generated by the PV panels.”

The fleet also includes 7.5 tonne lorries in both long wheelbase and short wheelbase form and an express pick-up truck.

Though TG Lynes’ core customer base is in London, the business also makes regular deliveries to areas outside the M25 circular, including Oxford, Cambridge and Brighton. Less frequent deliveries are made to places such as Birmingham, Nottingham, Peterborough, Manchester and even Newcastle.

TG Lynes offers a daily delivery service, with the first vehicles on the road for 6am. This approach - significantly earlier than its competitors - means TG Lynes can often deliver vital products to places like Birmingham sooner than other companies based much closer.

It is common for there to be more than 20 TG Lynes vehicles out on the road at any time.

TG Lynes stocks industry leading brands and supplies thousands of products including valves, steel and copper tubes and fittings, press systems, composite and plastic plumbing, drainage solutions and support systems and tooling. An extensive plant hire service is also available.