DB Schenker has signed a collaboration agreement on the use of eTrailers for its European land transport with Trailer Dynamics and the Krone Commercial Vehicle Group.
“This agreement marks a further step in the electrification of land transport,” says Cyrille Bonjean Executive Vice President Land Transport for DB Schenker in Europe. “It is essential for us to look for new sustainable solutions that can be integrated into our daily business. With the eTrailer from Trailer Dynamics, we have obtained another promising model for the future.”
Wolfgang Janda, Executive Vice President, Head of Network & Linehaul Management, DB Schenker, adds: “The use of eTrailers enables early entry into the phased transition to a completely CO2-free fleet. In our view, electric trailers do not represent a transitional technology but will instead be a firm component of our commercial vehicle fleet over the long term. This marks yet another step in our efforts to reduce our environmental footprint and become net-zero by 2040.”
“Electrification, digitalisation, automation, and decarbonisation are the strategic goals that Krone will achieve with its innovative products – and especially the eTrailer. We are therefore very pleased that we not only share these goals with our long-standing customer DB Schenker; we are also jointly making them a reality with this eTrailer project,” adds Dr. Stefan Binnewies, CEO of Krone Holding.
Trailer Dynamics electrified trailers feature an electric drive train that allows it to supplement the tractor unit’s power. A specifically designed component employs a proprietary sensor system to evaluate the driving characteristics of the tractor-trailer combination and then readjusts the eTrailer to assist the tractor unit. However, the tractor unit cannot be overridden at any point. The electric drive train also enables for energy recovery during braking.
The drive control system of the eTrailer runs autonomously, thus no communication with the tractor is required. Furthermore, the trailers may be paired with tractor units from any manufacturer. Diesel, gas, electric, and hydrogen-powered tractors are all supported by the eTrailers.
As needed, the trailers may be outfitted with 300kWh, 450kWh, or 600kWh batteries. Depending on the application, this can increase the range of electric tractors by up to 500km while also drastically reducing the fuel consumption of regular diesel tractors. CO2 emissions can therefore be cut by 20% to 40%, says the company.
Beginning in 2024, the logistics operator will gradually deploy 2,000 eTrailers across its European network.
