More and more logistics companies are using electric trucks. The electric models tested in the first pilot projects are mostly designed for use in urban areas since large ranges with a fully electric drive still entail technical challenges and high costs. DPD Switzerland recently started using an electric long-haul truck with what the company says has the highest capacity vehicle battery available in Europe.
The electric vehicle introduced by DPDgroup Switzerland comes from the Swiss electric-truck brand Futuricum. The Futuricum Logistics 18E model was delivered in mid-March and will initially be used on a route between a DPD depot in Möhlin in the canton of Aargau and the distribution centre in Buchs in the canton of Zurich, Germany.
The electric truck is based on a Volvo chassis and it has a 680 kWh battery, the largest currently available on an electric truck in Europe. The battery that weighs 4.5 tons allows the electric truck a range of up to 760 km with a charge. Thanks to the recovery of braking energy, the vehicle is highly efficient, according to Futuricum.
The electric drive with 500 kW (680 hp) consists of four electric motors. The battery also has the advantage that it is 91% recyclable, and the cell materials can be recovered.
With its equipment, the e-truck can completely replace a truck with a combustion engine and provide its service without restrictions on all routes. It is therefore the first electric long-distance truck that will not roll in a test environment.
The Futuricum Logistics 18E should drive at least 80,000 kilometres per year. According to the manufacturer, it saves 90 kilograms of CO2 per hundred kilometres. In the DPD Switzerland depots, it is charged exclusively with local green electricity.
Last summer, DPD Switzerland ordered a Futuricum Logistics 18E electric truck from local manufacturer Designwerk Products AG.
By 2025, the DPDgroup wants to reduce its CO2 emissions from parcel transport by 30% compared to 2013 levels.
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