Electric Storm

The latest on road freight transport electrification

Electric motive power is familiar in materials handling, primarily in the form of electric forklift trucks. Are electrically powered vans and trucks becoming more practical? If so, what are the advantages, disadvantages and pitfalls? Ruari McCallion has taken a quiet drive down the road to find out.

Sales of electrically powered vehicles are rising. Whether this is purely because of legislation intended to bring an end to the era of internal combustion engines (ICE) or because the latest designs are practical and desirable in their own right is open to debate; it’s probably a bit of both.

Adoption of electric motive power is lagging behind in the commercial sector, however – with the exception of forklift trucks, which have had electrified options for decades. Corporations have been seen to switch over to electric in their van fleets, and that is something that looks good in the CSR (corporate social responsibility) section of the annual report, but our streets are still not dominated by the quiet whispering of non-ICE-powered vans – at least, not yet.

Step by cautious step

With a number of cities across the UK and EU adopting low or zero emissions regulations, electric vans for short to medium logistics solutions are likely to be under active consideration, if not already purchased by close-to-customer companies. But the choice has been largely a ‘safe’ one: fleet operators haven’t gone with first movers, like Volta and Arrival. They seem to have waited for companies like Stellantis to come out with familiar-brand vehicles before making the jump.

Other concerns have included reliability, the charging infrastructure and the commercial equivalent of ‘range anxiety’; can the vehicles put in a full day’s work, sometimes a double shift, without having to spend half an hour or more recharging? Other practical considerations are very much about practicality. A mail depot or similar-sized operation could refill its ICE fleet from a single fuel pump and get each of them turned round in five minutes or less. By contrast, electric vehicles, which take longer, need several charging points – which means more space has to be allocated to them. There are issues to take into account, but John Ellmore of EV Schemes (EVschemes.co.uk) thinks that the current is not alternating; it is flowing in one direction, towards electricity.

“Commercial EVs (electric vehicles) are becoming increasingly practical due to technological improvements and supportive infrastructure developments.”

John Ellmore, EV Schemes

Technological advances

“Commercial EVs in the UK are witnessing rapid growth and significant advancements, driven by governmental policies, technological innovations and increasing environmental awareness. Companies like Magtec are at the forefront, offering electric lorries that are highly efficient and increasingly practical for various commercial uses.”

The UK’s Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders estimated that the BEV (battery electric vehicle) share of the light commercial vehicle market would reach 10.1% in 2024 and 14.1% the following year.

Costs and practicality

Purchases are undoubtedly growing, which would indicate that concerns about practicality are being overcome.

As John Ellmore notes, “Although the initial costs are high, these are offset by savings on fuel and maintenance. Innovations in battery technology and the development of dedicated charging infrastructure tailored to fleet operations further improve their practicality. The practicality of commercial EVs is enhanced by their lower operational costs and compliance with urban low-emission zones.”

That advantage will remain in most cities across Europe, but the London Mayor’s announcement that he intends to impose the Congestion Charge on electric vehicles may have an effect. Why rush to invest in new vehicles and infrastructure if one of the major reasons for doing so is negated? Yes, the UK government will ban all sales of new ICEs from 2030 and hybrids from 2035, but that’s ten years away. But the trend towards electric now may be strong enough to sweep everyone along, regardless.

Heavy haulers

Electric power has, until now, been largely applied to light commercial vehicles and it must be acknowledged that they have proved themselves, especially in urban situations. But a major element of logistics and materials handling is long-distance transport, which is undertaken by HGVs (heavy goods vehicles). We have not yet seen the adoption of electrically powered heavy-duty trucks, for a range of reasons including charging time and the length of the working day. Add to that, load capacity. Is the technology up to hauling heavy goods, yet?

The answer to that question seems to be: yes. Tesla has announced the imminent launch of the Semi, which is not to be confused with the currently available Tesla Truck; that’s just a pick-up alternative. The Semi is different. It is designed to have a capacity of 75 tonnes gross laden weight and to be able to travel 500 miles between charges. It will also be able to be charged up to 70% in less than 30 minutes, which will comfortably fit into drivers’ compulsory rest time across Europe.

What’s on the roads now

However, Tesla has a habit of announcing things some time before the product is ready to be rolled out. Electric HGVs might be a topic to be left on the shelf for a bit, were it not for Volvo and Magtec. Based in Sheffield, England, Magtec makes drivetrains that can be fitted to a new chassis or used to repower older diesel vehicles. Its technology is to be found in 3.5 to 18 tonne GVW (gross vehicle weight) trucks from Isuzu, MAN, Iveco and DAF. It has sold over 400 drive systems around the world, which have accumulated more than 10 million in-service miles.

That’s impressive, but Volvo has gone further. Its range of EV trucks has been on the road since 2019. Mattson Åkeri in Gothenburg, Sweden, recently bought three heavy electric Volvo FH Electric 6X4 trucks from Volvo. They can tow two trailers and handle a gross combination weight of 74 tonnes. The trucks are expected to run between Gothenburg and the city of Borås, 70 km away. They run for 12 hours a day, recharging while the driver takes a compulsory break.

Since it launched its first HGV, Volvo has sold around 5,000 EV trucks in 40 countries across the world. It expects that half of all its HGV sales will be EV by 2035.

The technology for commercial EVs is demonstrably in place. The demand is there and will continue to rise. It is up to governments across Europe to take the necessary steps to ensure that it will flourish.