DAF has announced the opening of its new assembly plant for battery electric trucks, which is set to start series production of the company’s latest generation of battery electric trucks, the XD and XF Electric, this summer.
The facility, commissioned at DAF’s main production site in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, covers an area of 5,000sq-m and includes two sub-assembly lines for the preparation of the battery packs and Electric Drive Module. These key components are installed onto the vehicle on the main assembly line, which is almost 150 metres long.
DAF has built the assembly plant specifically for the production of its latest generation of battery electric trucks, the XD and XF Electric, which are available in a range of configurations. Powered by PACCAR e-Motors and equipped with battery packs, these trucks can achieve a full electric range of up to 500km. With fast charging of up to 350kW, the battery packs can be charged to 80% capacity in 45 minutes.
The production of quality validation trucks is about to begin, with series production of customer vehicles planned to start in the summer. DAF expects production to increase to thousands of vehicles per year in the near future, in line with the increasing demand for fully electric trucks.
The new facility was officially opened by Micky Adriaansens, the Dutch Minister of Economic Affairs and Climate, who praised DAF’s efforts in the transition to cleaner products and production methods, calling the new factory “a shining example of that ambition.” Harald Seidel, DAF Trucks’ president, stated the new assembly plant represents an important milestone on the road to an even cleaner future and that DAF’s comprehensive package includes a broad range of charging solutions, route and charging planning advice, and driver training to get the best out of the vehicles.
