DAF XF Electric, Radius Group and David Watson Transport team-up for Norway Christmas tree move to Trafalgar Square

The operation honours a decades‑long tradition while showcasing how detailed planning and EV technology can work together on one of the UK’s most iconic festive projects.
 

With its DAF XD and XF Electric range – recently crowned International Truck of the Year 2026 – DAF proves how zero‑tailpipe‑emission vehicles can meet demanding city‑centre logistics requirements while operating cleanly and quietly in sensitive urban environments.

Early on Monday morning, following extensive advance planning by Radius Group, the DAF XF Electric – operated by Colchester‑based David Watson Transport, hauled the tree from a secure location in Northamptonshire to its central London destination on an extendable, power‑steered flat‑bed trailer. On arrival in Trafalgar Square, Radius Group’s lifting team and cranes installed the three‑tonne, 20‑metre Norwegian spruce tree into position, ready to take its place in the nation’s capital as a symbol of international friendship and festive celebration.

Northampton‑based Radius Group, specialists in complex lifting and project logistics, has planned and managed the Trafalgar Square tree installation for the past eight years, coordinating every stage from route planning and permissions, to lifting methodology and on‑site cranage.

The decision to integrate a battery‑electric truck into this tightly‑timed, urban operation stems from Radius Group’s ongoing focus on improving the environmental performance of the project. Drawing on its long experience managing the Trafalgar Square installation, Radius worked with DAF Trucks and David Watson Transport to ensure the XD Electric could be deployed without compromising the demanding logistics schedule. This year’s planning included detailed route surveys, traffic management and stakeholder coordination to ensure a trouble transition to London.

The tree has been gifted annually since 1947 by the people of Oslo as a gesture of gratitude for Britain’s support during the Second World War, when King Haakon VII and Norway’s government in exile found refuge in London, and radio broadcasts inspired hope across occupied Norway. The Trafalgar Square tree remains a powerful symbol of that enduring bond.
 
Phil Moon, Marketing Manager at DAF Trucks UK, said, “We’re delighted to support Radius Group’s long running management of the Trafalgar Square Christmas tree and to work alongside David Watson Transport to showcase our DAF XF Electric – International Truck of the Year 2026. This prestigious journey, planned in detail by Radius and executed with our electric truck, provides a perfect opportunity to demonstrate the capability and reliability of our latest zero emissions technology in a high profile, real world operation.”