Just a week after announcing that it was exploring a potential hydrogen fuel cell opportunityfor heavy trucks with Japanese auto giant Toyota, Swedish truck maker Scania has used the IAA Transportation expo in Germany to reveal a potential extended range for battery electric trucks claiming a potential of up to 720 kms.
The big news from Scania in Hanover is said to address one of the transport industry’s biggest electrification challenges, and that is how to make electric trucks work for long-haul operations.
Scania says the solution combines expanded battery capacity, along with megawatt charging system (MCS) and practical vehicle configuration, which it believes will enable up to 720 kilometres of range, while helping operators balance payload, charging and productivity.
Scania says its solution brings those elements together by adding battery capacity behind the cab, in combination with chassis-mounted batteries and megawatt charging, so that the vehicle can be configured for longer electric range while retaining the operational flexibility needed for European long-haul assignments.
How it would work practically in Australia is yet to be revealed, that solution may lie in the hydrogen fuel cell solution. Certainly in Europe with roughly 40 tonne GVM weights it will work better than in the world of 60-plus tonne B-Doubles down under.
The company said that in combination with Scania’s protruding IVD (Increased Vehicle Dimension) front, the battery-behind-cab layout enables a 6×2 European trailer combination with maximum range, even when the total vehicle length exceeds 16.5 metres.
It said that this allows customers to combine long electric range with practical trailer compatibility and maintained turning performance.
Scania said that when combined with the new front, the vehicle can reduce energy consumption by up to 3 percent, depending on specification and operation, as wind resistance accounts for a larger share of total energy use in electric trucks.
“Electric trucks are already part of the transport system, but long-haul operations place very different demands on range, payload and charging and with this solution, Scania is showing how those pieces can come together in a practical way for customers who want to electrify demanding long-distance routes,” said Scania’s senior vice president and head oif solutions management, Lars Gustafsson.
Long distances, heavy loads, trailer compatibility, charging strategy and bodywork requirements all influence whether an electric truck works in daily operation,” Gustafson said,
“By placing additional battery packs behind the cab, Scania can increase installed battery capacity without relying only on chassis-mounted batteries, making it possible to build long-haul configurations with up to 720 kilometres of range while giving operators more room to balance range and payload,” he said.
Scania reckons that in a typical European configuration, two MP20 battery packs can be mounted behind the cab, adding approximately 356 kWh of installed capacity
in addition to the batteries on the chassis and under the cab.
It said that together with MCS charging, this expanded energy capacity supports electric long-haul tractor configurations using standard European trailer combinations.
“This is not only about placing batteries in a new position on the vehicle. The larger point is what it enables: electric transport over distances that have traditionally been among the hardest to electrify, with range, payload and charging considered together from the start,” Gustafsson concludes.
Scania is saying that with an electric range of up to 720 kilometres, depending on configuration and operating conditions it will also mean up to three per cent lower energy consumption on battery-electric vehicles, particularly when combined with the truck’s new front, and depending on specification and operation.
The company said that the expanded installed battery capacity, including two MP20 battery packs mounted behind the cab in a typical configuration adds approximately 356 kWh installed capacity behind the cab, depending on the configuration
It emphasised that the trucks have been designed to support MCS charging for shorter and more productive charging stops in long-haul operations.
Again it also underlined that the system supports selected long-haul 6×2 prime mover configurations with standard European trailer combinations and works together with Scania’s IVD front to enable total vehicle length above 16.5 metres.
