Following its preview at the recent Road Transport Expo truck exhibition, Chinese truck builder Sany will formally launch its new 8x4 truck chassis to customers on 18 August, marking the start of a full product roll out for European customers.
Sany is set to be the first Chinese truck builder to make its UK commercial vehicle market play with the launch of a new 8x4 battery electric truck chassis launched in August 2023. Visitors to the recent Road Transport Expo, held in the UK at the end of June, got a sneak preview of the new truck in fully built-up cement mixer configuration and the vehicle is being officially launched to UK customers on 18 August 2023.
Sany is one of China’s leading battery electric commercial vehicle producers and the vehicles will be sold through subsidiary company Putzmeister in the UK. Putzmeister, better known as a supplier for the mining and construction sector, is owned by Sany and will be offering the 8x4 chassis in “ready to go” cement mixer configuration, although Sany will also offer the vehicle as an 8x4 chassis for other bodybuilding applications.
“We are already starting testing with key accounts in the UK,” explains Sany’s head of business development, Kevin Eichel. ”We have been granted European type approval for volume deliveries of the chassis and already have a number of vehicles in operation in Europe. We have plans to add a three-axle rigid chassis to the line-up for the UK and Europe early next year and we are currently evaluating the tractor unit and our light duty commercial vehicle range for possible market introduction,” he added.
The SANY e-Chassis 408P is powered by a 600 volt electric motor offering 360kW of peak power and 2400Nm of torque. The power is delivered to the wheels via a six-speed automatic transmission, with integrated regenerative braking to recuperate the batteries. Power comes from LFP traction 350kWh batteries and is equipped with CCS Combo 2 fast charging, 400A DC quick charge facilitating 90% charge in an hour, claims the manufacturer. The vehicle is equipped with a range of PTO options to suit all bodybuilder installations: mPTO (mechanical take off from an auxiliary eMotor); gPTO (mechanical take off from the gearbox) and an ePTO (electrical power take off via “cable”).
