A NORTH Yorkshire firm has been chosen to design and develop an electric off-road cargo truck to be used in military situations.

Multidrive Limited, of Thirsk, has been awarded a contract to create a six-wheel, nine-tonne electric truck to demonstrate how such a vehicle can operate in conflicts.

The vehicle will be tested in realistic military environments and evaluated to provide the Ministry of Defence with information about its effectiveness.

Chris Chambers, Multidrive's sales and marketing director, said the company was establishing itself globally with projects such as this.

He said: "The award of this contract will provide a platform to ensure that we remain involved at the cutting edge of vehicle design for many years to come.

"The intention is that this research will have commercial spin-offs and we are delighted to be in a position to make a wider contribution to re-establishing the UK as a major manufacturer of such heavy-duty trucks."