A new heavy battery electric vehicle has begun operation on the highways of Mälardalen, Sweden. The electric truck is one of the first of its class, capable of carrying loads of up to 64 tonnes. Scania, Foria, a transport and machinery service firm, and Rang-Sells, a recycling and environmental company, have made this feasible. This partnership is part of Regional Electric Logistics (REEL).
Scania, Foria, and Ragn-Sells have begun an industry partnership to speed the development of electrified, emission-free heavy transport. Scania has produced a battery electric truck capable of carrying weights of up to 64 tonnes. Foria is in charge of the truck operations, which will deliver fly ashes from the Mälardalen region’s thermal power station to Ragn-Sells’ new Ash2Salt-facility in Högbytorp, northwest of Stockholm. This partnership is part of Regional Electric Logistics (REEL), an initiative led by major Swedish firms and organisations to expedite the transition to emission-free electrified transportation on our roads.
“Our new electric truck will be a part of a transport solution that enables a circular system. Now Foria is able to transport fly ashes from the thermal power station in Mälardalen to Ragn-Sells’ new facilities where valuable salts can be recycled and reused, without emissions from the truck,” says Fredrik Allard, Head of Power Solutions, Scania.
The battery electric truck is already on the road, transporting fly ashes from the Mälardalen thermal power station to Högbytorp for storage until the new facility is finished. There are various electric transportation alternatives available today, but the majority of them are for shorter routes and with lighter vehicles. The effort is headed by CLOSER, Sweden’s transport efficiency platform, and is supported by the Fordonsstrategisk forskning och Innovation (FFI) programme to prepare the way for the Swedish market’s transition to electric freight transport.
“This electric truck is a big step and vital for Foria if we are to change to electricity and in that way change a flow that is built around fossil. The collaboration with Scania and Ragn-Sells enables us to learn and evaluate future investments in fossil-free technologies,” says Tove Winiger, Sustainability Manager at Foria.
Once the new plant is operational, the electric truck will work in two shifts to reduce the number of fossil-fuel-powered vehicles. When loading and unloading, the truck will be rapidly charged to eliminate unnecessary and costly pauses. ABB, a technology business, gave two highly efficient chargers with a capacity of 160 kW to the Ragn-Sells factory in Högbytorp.
