A TIMBER company based in Lockerbie is taking part in a three year trial using electric wagons to transport wood.
Scottish Forestry has awarded £452,000 towards the trial which will test the use of state-of-the-art electric timber lorries.
As part of the project, which is the first of its kind in the UK, two Scottish timber companies, including Lockerbie’s James Jones & Sons Ltd, as well as Scotlog Haulage, are partnering with the Volvo Group and Cleaner EV to undertake the demonstrator project.
James Jones & Sons Ltd will trial a 40 tonne articulated lorry from their sawmill in Lockerbie to transport timber to their Hangingshaws national distribution centre.
During the three years, the vehicles will be evaluated for their achievable mileage vs battery consumption, durability, viability and total cost of ownership.
The two new Volvo electric timber vehicles are currently being manufactured in Gothenburg and are expected to be ready for use later this summer
Commenting, Rural Affairs Secretary Mairi Gougeon said: “The forestry sector is innovative and always using new technology to increase its business efficiencies. I welcome this new trial and look forward to hearing more about the findings as we drive closer to Net Zero.”
