A British technology entrepreneur has committed to bringing a new, urban-focused electric truck to the market before the end of next year.

Denis Sverdlov, CEO of Charge, has said the new truck will be priced in line with conventional diesel-engined trucks and that the price will be kept down by making the truck simple to assemble, taking one person just four hours to build. In its first year, the company will have the capacity to assemble 10,000 trucks.

“At Charge we are making trucks the way they should be – affordable, elegant, quiet, clean and safe,” said Sverdlov.

“We are removing all the barriers to entry for electric vehicles by pricing them in line with conventional trucks, giving every fleet manager, tradesman or company, no matter how big or small, the opportunity to change the way they transport goods and make our towns and cities better places to live in,” he added.

The trucks are built using ultra-lightweight composite materials that the company says significantly reduce the weight of the vehicle. Thanks to on-board telemetry developed in motor sport, Charge Trucks receive smartphone-style over-the-air updates and are autonomous ready.

The trucks also produce zero emissions for the first 100 miles/ 160 km they travel, while for longer journeys a dual-mode, with a petrol-powered range extender, can be used to ‘top up’ the battery and give a total operational distance of 500 miles/ 800 km.

A range of trucks from 3.5 tonnes to 26 tonnes is in development, and all will meet London’s new Direct Vision Standard thanks to panoramic cab windows.

The company’s first new factory will open in 2017 near its current HQ in Enstone, Oxfordshire, where the first trucks were designed and built.