Tarmac has unveiled the UK’s first battery electric concrete mixer featuring a hand-drawn design by an eight-year-old competition winner from Wolverhampton, in the West Midlands.
The UK’s leading construction solutions company invited children aged between five and 12 to submit a design on the themes of sustainability and construction to be featured on the vehicle’s drum.
A drawing by Elsie May Field, featuring a rainbow, insects, flowers and wind turbines, will now be on display for people across Birmingham and the West Midlands to see as the one-of-a-kind vehicle hits the roads in the coming weeks.
Elsie May entered the competition following encouragement from her dad, Daryl, a plant supervisor at Tarmac. She said: “When Daddy told me about the competition, I got my pencils out straight away and I knew that the electric truck would be good for nature so that was my inspiration for the design. When I found out I had won I was really happy – I couldn’t believe it! All my family are very proud of me.”
Based out of Tarmac’s flagship Washwood Heath site in Birmingham, the ‘e-mixer’ is the first vehicle in the company’s national HGV fleet to feature a hand-drawn design. Its arrival marks a significant milestone for both the business and wider UK construction industry as part of a continued drive towards net zero.
Ben Garner, Tarmac’s low carbon logistics lead, said: “Huge congratulations to Elsie May and thanks to everyone who took part. It was difficult to choose a winner, but we loved how colourful Elsie May’s drawings were. We are absolutely delighted to have such a special, standout design for this new-generation vehicle. People should keep an eye out for the mixer when it’s out and about!”
The new ‘e-mixer’ will be key in delivering vital construction materials to projects in and around Birmingham and will generate zero tailpipe emissions, supporting a lower carbon-built environment and helping to improve urban air quality. It is the latest in a series of sustainability initiatives at the Washwood Heath site and will be charged from renewable electricity using power from recently installed solar photovoltaic (PV) panels.
Tarmac is working with Renault Trucks and TVS Interfleet to develop the next generation of mixers, with ambitions for their eventual widespread use across its urban operations as part of the company’s commitment to implementing low CO2 transport and logistics solutions.
