Admiral Mobility, a subsidiary of US-based Admiral Corporation of America, has partnered with vehicle hire company Avis to bring electric commercial trucks to the leasing market in the UAE.

The strategic partnership represents a commitment to deliver the GCC’s largest rollout of electric commercial trucks, which will be leased to fleets across the UAE, the company said in a press statement.

Admiral Mobility will make the first deliveries of the Electric Commercial 6T [6 tonnes] and 8T [8 tonnes] Vehicles in August 2023.

The partnership announcement was made during Mobility Live in Abu Dhabi, which brought together world leaders in the green transport and EV space.

With a range of up to 220 kilometres with full load, the zero emissions electric vehicle takes less than 90 minutes to fully charge through its liquid cooled CATL LFP battery.

Admiral Mobility has done extensive testing of the vehicles over the past six months to ensure they are fit for the GCC market when it comes to being both operationally and commercially viable, the statement said.

Graham Bremer, General Manager, Admiral Mobility, said: “This partnership with Avis UAE represents the largest rollout of EV trucks to be leased in the UAE. We are looking forward to our vehicles hitting the road, as per our commitment to support the growing demand for cleaner transportation, be it for highways, the city or backroads, to ensure a cleaner environment for us all.”

Dominic Hagerty, General Manager from Avis UAE, added: “Through this agreement, we will be able to offer businesses an attractive leasing model arrangement to provide complete flexibility for fleets who want to move towards a more sustainable mode of transport.”

“The electric commercial trucks in this agreement represent a step change in commercial fleets, by being the first of its kind available in its category, anywhere in the GCC.  We are truly excited to be a launch partner for this vehicle,” he added.

“With the UAE’s focus on achieving its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to provide access to clean energy and sustainable economic growth, the partnership of Admiral Mobility and Avis UAE will further help build the ‘green transportation industry’, especially in the lead up to COP28,” said a statement.

Earlier, in December 2022, Admiral Mobility had announced its plan to set up a plant in the UAE to assemble electric vehicles, first e-trucks and later electric cars, in collaboration with China’s Geely Farizon Commercial Group.

As the first step, Admiral Mobility and Geely Farizon New Energy Commercial Vehicle Group entered into a strategic partnership for the rollout of electric commercial vehicles across the Middle East.

Frank Bernthaler, Chief Operating Officer, Admiral Mobility, had said the company would bring 5,000 electric commercial vehicles to the Middle East.  The commitment comprises 3,000 e-trucks, split between 6 tonnes and 8 tonnes and a further 2,000 electric Farizon Supervans.

Of the 5,000 e-trucks, the first 500 will be exclusively for the UAE market; 2,000 will be Supervans, which has huge market potential. The official had said that Admiral has plans to expand the product range to buses.