Seou City to operate 6 eco-friendly electric trucks

Eco-friendly electric trucks hit the roads in Seoul.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Thursday that it would launch a pilot project to operate six electric trucks for package and cargo delivery free of charge for six months. During the test period, four half-ton and two one-ton trucks will be in operation. Four entities -- the Seoul Metropolitan Government, Gangdong District Office, Lotte Shopping and CJ Korea Express – will join the pilot project.

Assuming that a one-ton electric truck runs 50 kilometers per day, the annual fuel cost will amount to 500,000 won (448 U.S. dollars, compared with 2.5 million won (2,240 dollars) for diesel-powered trucks of the same size. Electric trucks will also emit less greenhouse gas and particles than diesel ones. A one-ton electric truck emits 1.96 tons of carbon dioxide a year, just one-third of diesel trucks` emissions.

Fifty-two percent of fine particles in Seoul`s air come from automobiles and construction machines. Door-to-door delivery trucks usually run at low speeds and stops frequently. Therefore, diesel particulate filters that run above certain temperatures are not effective in reducing emissions.

"The supply of emission and noise-free electric trucks will help improve the air quality in Seoul," said Kang Hee-eun, an official at the Seoul Metropolitan Government.