Scania, much like the other big name truck manufacturers, were among those to show off their latest electric trucks at IAA Transportation in Hanover. The company also announced that its truck-as-a-service joint-venture with sennder, JUNA, had ordered 30 of its latest heavy-duty electric vehicles.
However, with sales of electric trucks still being dwarfed by their diesel counterparts, the electric transition clearly still has a long way to go.
Therefore we took the opportunity to speak to Daniel Schulze, Vice President e-Trucks Solutions at Scania, to learn more about how the electric trucks available now can be used optimally, and discuss the future developments that could see the electric trucking transformation truly accelerate.
Scania’s modular approach
First up, we asked Schulze what the current state of play was when it comes to electric vehicles. In the case of Scania, Schulze explained the Swedish manufacturer’s latest truck model can now surpass 500 kilometres on one charge.
“The 2nd generation, our Scania BEV Regional, was launched two years ago. The truck entered production this year and can manage up to 450 kilometres. Now in the configuration on show, with the 5th battery pack under the cabin, we can increase the total battery capacity to 728 kWh. This brings us up to 550 kilometres in range. So then we really can manage long haul applications,” Schulze told Trans.INFO.
Interestingly, however, Schulze was keen to point out that simply buying an electric truck with the longest range may not be the best approach for some companies.
Instead, Schulze argues that for some operators, particularly those active in city distribution, that an electric truck with a smaller, lighter battery may suffice:
“There’s a lot of talk about who has the maximum battery capacity or the longest range. But I think it’s super important to have a modular pack to adjust the configuration to suit each customer’s needs. It’s not always best to have the maximum depending on the business. For some payloads, it might be much better to just take 3 or 4 packs. Such a configuration could be a much better business case for the customer. For example, if you go for city distribution, you don’t need to have that many battery packs and a range up to 550 kilometres. It would be totally fine that you take a configuration with less battery capacity. You will have much more payload; the truck will be cheaper, and it will offer a better business case,” said Schulze.
The road to long-haul electric trucking
Scania’s Vice President e-Trucks Solutions then emphasised that fast charging will be key when it comes to long-haul electric road freight.
“The future is long-haul. That’s where we’ll save the most CO2 and push forward our mission to drive the electrification shift. Of course for long haul, you might need more batteries if you are really heavy loaded. The charging is important too.”
When it comes to fast charging, Schulze also claimed that not all trucks charge as fast as they should according to their specification. In his view, this is an area Scania has really invested in so as to ensure the charging is every bit as fast as it should be:
“Also, with regards to charging stats, you often read on a truck’s specs that it can charge at a certain speed, but in reality, the battery gets warm after a while and the speed drops. We’ve really invested heavily in a smart cooling and energy management system that’s allowed us to keep high charging speeds up to 80% of battery charge. That’s a really good performance, and an important KPI to look at. Every minute the truck stands still, our customers lose money. So for us it’s really important to maximise this.”
Photo: Scania press materials
Charging infrastructure
As for the charging infrastructure itself, it is a commonly-held view that there aren’t enough charging points for electric trucks at this moment in time. There were also plenty of signs at IAA Transportation of the industry lobbying for government and EU support for charging points.
Schulze, however, underlined Scania’s commitment to building infrastructure as part of the Traton Group’s joint venture with Daimler and Volvo:
“We need to talk about charging infrastructure and there are lots of questions upcoming. We’ve heavily invested in a complete ecosystem so that we can really help the customer in their electrification journey. It’s not just about having the best truck in the world. It is about having charging infrastructure too. Here we’re not pointing the customers towards some other company, but rather taking the initiative ourselves. We’ve invested in a joint-venture to build public charging infrastructure. We also invest in our own Scania charging access system so that you can pay with your Scania card easily at public charging stations,” Schulze told Trans.INFO.
According to Scania’s Vice President e-Trucks Solutions, the extra infrastructure, as well as the means to pay for an electric truck as a service, are both key drivers that are needed to boost demand for electric trucks:
“For us, it’s really about giving the customer a good business case, so having really fair prices and excess. If you try to find specific charging points today, it’s really hard. Of course, we help with financing, but we are also exploring options like charging as a service, and the complete package as a service. I think the demand is there. We’re continuously developing our offer to make this journey easy for the customers, which is why the JUNA joint-venture is a perfect fit. Electric trucks are a much bigger investment than a diesel truck. So the possibility to get a truck and ensure it is utilised and pays off is important.”
Next big steps
Looking forward, Schulze is enthusiastic about the possibilities that megawatt charging could bring, and even goes as far as to describe the technology as a game changer.
“By the end of next year, when the megawatt-charging standard comes into operation and the infrastructure is ready, then our trucks will be ready for that. Charging speed is important and this technology will be a game changer.”
Finally, in terms of what Scania will bring to the table, Schulze said the Swedish manufacturer would continue to work to reduce weight and increase range whilst continuing with its modular approach:
“You’ll also see lots of other improvements coming super fast. The trucks will weigh less, they’ll have longer range. We will also continuously extend our modular system so you can even have more batteries as you see fit. For us, it’s about the efficiencies across the complete truck. I think Scania’s famous for its fuel efficiency and we want to write the same history with our electric trucks,” concluded Schulze.