DAF subsidiary Leyland Trucks completes electrification project
British commercial vehicle manufacturer Leyland Trucks was taken over by its Dutch competitor DAF back in 1987, and today no longer builds trucks under its own name at its plant in Lancashire, but only under the DAF brand. These increasingly include battery-electric models – and to further promote their production, Leyland Trucks launched the Zero Emissions Truck Testing Automation (ZETTA) project, which the company has now successfully completed.
Funded by the Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC) and with a budget of £5.1 million, the ZETTA project was designed to accelerate the UK’s transition to zero-emission road transport. At the same time, it was also intended to strengthen Leyland Trucks’ position as a leading manufacturer of clean commercial vehicles.
Phil Jones, Managing Director of Leyland Trucks, said: “ZETTA has been an important step forward for Leyland Trucks. By combining advanced automation with our manufacturing expertise, and working closely with our partners, we’ve strengthened our battery electric vehicle (BEV) production capabilities and created a solid foundation to meet future demand.”
Thanks to ZETTA, Leyland Trucks has expanded its production capacity for electric trucks and is now able to supply DAF brand battery-electric trucks on a larger scale. To this end, two new assembly lines for electric drive modules and high-voltage battery systems have been introduced, while key safety processes such as protective conductor and leak tests and the installation of main disconnect switches (MSDs) have been automated.
In parallel, a detailed feasibility study on the assembly of high-voltage battery packs has established a clear roadmap for the next phase of development, ensuring that Leyland Trucks is well-positioned to keep pace with the growing demand for electric trucks.
Ben Harrison, Senior Project Delivery Lead at APC, said: “The process and facility improvements developed through this collaborative project, supported by a digital twin, has demonstrated technology and capability available within UK-based OEMs and suppliers. The APC and Department for Business and Trade are pleased that the ZETTA project has successfully built on this technology and capability to support assembly of medium-duty BEV at Leyland Trucks as part of the zero-emission transition.”
Leyland Trucks manufactures various battery-electric models from DAF. The CF Electric was the first, followed by the LF Electric distribution truck in 2021 and the XB Electric, also intended for distribution transport, in 2023.
This article was first published by Florian Treiß for electrive’s German edition
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