Milk float

Milk Float

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Milk float

A milk float is a small battery electric vehicle

Battery electric vehicle

The battery electric vehicle, or BEV, is a type of electric vehicle that uses chemical energy stored in rechargeable battery battery pack....
(BEV), specifically designed for the delivery of fresh milk

Milk

Milk is an opaque white liquid produced by the mammary glands of female mammals . It provides the primary source of nutrition for newborn mammals before they are able to digestion other types of food....
. They were once common in many European countries, particularly the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
, and were operated by local dairies

Dairy

A dairy is a facility for the extraction and processing of animal milk—mostly from goat or cattle, but also from bovine, sheep, horses or camels —for human consumption....
. However, in recent years, as the number of supermarket

Supermarket

A supermarket is a self-service Retailing#Retail types offering a wide variety of food and household merchandise, organized into departments....
s, small independent grocer

Grocer

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Encyclopedia

A milk float is a small battery electric vehicle

Battery electric vehicle

Milk

United Kingdom

Dairy

Supermarket

A supermarket is a self-service Retailing#Retail types offering a wide variety of food and household merchandise, organized into departments....
s, small independent grocer

Grocer

Beginning as early as the 14th century, a grocer was a dealer in comestible dry goods such as spices, pepper, sugar, and cocoa, tea and coffee....
s and petrol stations stocking fresh milk has increased, most people have switched from regular home delivery to obtaining fresh milk from these other sources.

Milk floats travel fairly slowly, usually around 10 to 15 miles per hour (16–24 km/h) although some have been modified to do up to 80 mph (130 km/h). Operators often exit their vehicle before they have completely stopped to speed deliveries; milk floats generally have doors that can be left open. They are very quiet, suiting operations in residential areas during the early hours of the morning or during the night.

The leading manufacturers of milk floats in Britain in the twentieth century have included Smith's, Wales & Edwards

Wales & Edwards

Wales & Edwards was a large manufacturer of Milk floats. They were particularly well known for their three wheelers. It was one of the oldest Milk float manufacturers lasting from the early 1940s to the early 1990s....
, Osborne, Harbilt, Brush, Bedford and Leyland. Today, Bluebird Electric Vehicles and Smith Electric Vehicles

Smith Electric Vehicles

Smith Electric Vehicles is a manufacturer of electric delivery vans based in the UK. They are now part of the Tanfield Group.They were established in the early 20th century building milk floats and bread vans, mainly for The Co-operative....
remain in the industry.

Horse-drawn milk floats in the late nineteenth century preceded the modern electric version. Today, with rounds expanding in coverage to ensure profitability in the face of falling levels of patronage, the limited range and speed of electric milk floats has resulted in many being replaced by diesel powered converted van

Van

A van is a kind of vehicle used for transporting goods or groups of people. It is usually a box-shaped vehicle on four wheels, about the same width and length as a large automobile, but taller and usually higher off the ground, also referred to as a light commercial vehicle or LCV....
s.

A collection of milk floats and other BEVs is kept by the Birmingham and Midland Motor Omnibus Trust

Birmingham and Midland Motor Omnibus Trust

The Birmingham and Midland Motor Omnibus Trust is a charitable organization that runs The Transport Museum, Wythall just outside Birmingham, at Chapel Lane, Wythall, Worcestershire, England....
at their museum.

Milk float

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