Trial of Volvo electric truck as another step to decarbonisation

We take another step this year in developing our alternative fuels strategy and have started to evaluate the potential addition of electrified vehicles to our existing fleet of 685 trucks.

Our fleet already uses low-emission diesel trucks that meet European Euro VI standards; however, the benefits of electric vehicles and the reduced impact they are believed to have on the environment warrant investigation.

So, we recently conducted a real-world trial of the technology in the UK at our northern trucking port, which is based close to Immingham and the Port of Humber.

Electrification – By working together, a sustainable solution for all?

“When estimated over the lifetime of a battery-electric 40-tonne tractor-trailer entering service in 2021, these vehicle models produce at least 63% lower emissions than diesel. As the grid continues to decarbonize, the emissions of these will fall (further) - the study shows an 84% (additional) reduction of emissions when using only renewable electricity.”
Battery electric trucks emits 63% less GHG emissions than Diesel – 06/04/23
The International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT)

For our clients, electrification could markedly reduce their supply chain CO2 emissions output, which in turn could make a healthy reduction in their overall carbon footprint.

For us, as a multimodal operator with our own fleet and ambition for the decarbonisation of our service, these lifetime savings would make another sizeable contribution to our sustainability initiatives.

Volvo - big partner to help with a big decision

For the trial, we selected Volvo Trucks, a giant in the HGV industry, to see what its flagship product, the Volvo FM Electric, could offer.

“The Volvo FM Electric can carry large volumes of food, consumer goods and industrial supplies with speed and comfort between logistics hubs and cities.Range: Up to 300km. Continuous power: Up to 490kW. Gross combined weight: Up to 42 t”
- Volvo Brochure ‘Switch To Electric’

It is one of five vehicles that have debuted in Volvo Truck’s electric vehicle solution range. Its power and range make it well suited to pulling the large mega trailers used as standard in our fleet, which have a capacity of up to 11% more than a standard curtain-side trailer.

Location, route, and load. Where do electric vehicles fit in?

Due to their regular charging requirement, the current best use case of electrified vehicles is in the short hauls between the key waypoints of a multimodal journey, i.e., a client’s premises, rail stations and seaports in the network, and the cargo’s ‘last mile’ to its destination. With its island geography and population density, the UK provided ample opportunity to test these types of short-haul trips.

Being judged when the vehicle makes its journeys will be a range of factors such as:

• Vehicle handling – Does it handle as well as existing fleet vehicles?

• Economy performance – How does the cost per Km/Mile compare to the standard?

• Time taken – Does the required electric driving style add time to the journey

• Driver comfort – Does the driver find the vehicle to be of similar comfort
  
  

What's next? 

We look forward to finishing our evaluation soon, with an update on the specific results and their implications to follow when ready. Hopefully, it will prove to be a win for all, with a win for greener logistics and, in turn, a win for a greener planet.