Scania has announced it is now producing what it describes as the next level of BEVs, which it says are electric trucks with ‘power, range and charging capacity for effortless daily operations in a variety of urban and regional transport assignments’.
The Swedish subsidiary of the Traton group says it first presented its ‘next level’ of battery-electric zero-emission regional trucks in June 2022 and claims to have built up a solid order book.
The company claims production will now commence at its Södertälje facility in Sweden, for its R and S cab trucks with 400 or 450 kW of engine power, which it says are sufficient for a broad variety of truck applications.
Scania says its offer has now reached a maturity level that makes it attractive and relevant for a broad spectrum of customers, regardless of transport assignments, with updated urban battery electric vehicles including new green battery packs and e-adopted chassis, and services including Scania Charging Access,
“Operating zero-emission trucks is no longer a privilege for the chosen few,” said Fredrik Allard, senior vice president and head of E-mobility at Scania.
“Scania’s offer now covers a wide span of applications and customer demands, while offering services that are lowering the threshold for a transformation towards fossil-free transports for the many,” said Allard.
Scania says its next level of regional battery electric trucks can run at gross vehicle weights of up to 64-tonnes, with range of up to 390 km, charging capacity of up to 375 kW and top power levels of 400 or 450 kW, which equates to around 610 hp, which it says are all considerably higher than those sported by the majority of the conventional trucks out on the roads.
“Apart from true long-haul operations, few buyers today cannot find what they need from an operational viewpoint,” said Allard.
“Sure, there are still certain applications that are less prone to turn electric in the near future, but many buyers will be amazed when they realise what these trucks are capable of and their efficiency together with our digital services,” he said.
Scania says its latest electric trucks in Europe are offered as both rigids and prime movers, with either R- and S-series cabs are available.
The company says that range will vary with weight, operation, weather, driving style and so on, but says that, for instance, a 27-tonne city tipper with six batteries can expect up to 350 km between each charge.
Scania says that one hour of charging will then add 270 km of range, and says that it does not take the highest available charge points with 350 kW for achieving reasonable charging times. The company adds that a 130 kW charger will add 100 km of range in one hour for a truck that uses 1.3 kWh/km.
“We are a bit stuck on the concept of always filling from 10 per cent to 100 cent as we do with diesel,” Allard added.
“With battery-electric vehicles the mindset should be to charge for the required range instead, so if you have 120 km to go to your home depot charger, it would be unnecessary to charge for more than that distance with some small extra margin.”
Scania says its first battery electric trucks have been on the market since 2021 and claims that they have spear-headed the transition towards fossil-free transports mainly in urban applications.
Scania says it is now gearing up its offer for applications such as distribution trucks and light tippers adding that new doors are opened with the addition of e-adapted chassis, batteries by Northvolt and new auxiliary systems that will add better functionality and less complexity.
In parallel, Scania says it is introducing a range of new electric machines, the EM C1-4 family, in no less than five different power levels. The EM C1-4 is expected to become the volume seller for Scania, due to its flexibility and five different levels of power output.
“By this addition, we introduce the opportunity to also tailor the battery-electric vehicles, based on their actual operations,” said Allard.
“With its five different power levels and four gears, this electric machine has flexibility written all over it. With this as the foundation, we can guide each customer to exactly the right configuration regarding the number of batteries and our services so that it truly fits their needs,” he added.
Scania says it is using cells from the Swedish manufacturer Northvolt, which it says have the capacity for powering trucks for 1.5 million kilometres. Their carbon footprint is approximately one-third of a comparative industry reference.
Scania says one of the main strengths of its batteries, is their charging characteristics, claiming that unlike many other battery packs, the Scania batteries can be charged repeatedly up to 100 per cent of the SOC-window without any impact on their lifespan.
The company also says the batteries also have a straight charging curve, which means that they charge with the same speed when almost full as when they are close to empty. The straight charging curve gives predictable charging times, and the long battery life secures a low total cost of ownership says Scania.
Scania says it has accomplished these capabilities by ensuring the batteries always have the right temperature. Together with Northvolt, Scania says it has adapted the battery technology for heavy vehicles with a high battery capacity versus the important so-called C-rate (the current at which a battery is charged and discharged).
“We believe that charging issues will be regarded as less problematic when people learn more about how batteries work in reality,” said Allard.
“When we analyse operational patterns, it often becomes evident that the vast majority have all the range they need, with a margin. Tippers and other kinds of rigid-based applications often do fewer than 200 kilometres per day when operating in urban areas. If they charge at their home depot and join Scania Charging Access for back-up, range would not be an issue for them,” he said.
The company claims that the transition towards sustainable, fossil-free transport with zero emissions is an ongoing process where thought leaders such as Scania are playing an important role.
Scania believes that a step-change is imminent, to begin with in Europe and the USA. It is driven by a mix of sustainability demands from customers, increased legislation and the fact that electric trucks are expected to deliver cost-parity – or better – compared to diesel trucks.
“The interest in battery-electric solutions is immeasurable; potential customers are everywhere,” said Allard.
“The fact that some are cautious and limit themselves to ordering a couple of trucks for their fleets is fully understandable since they want to gather experience first,” allard added.
“But with our growing portfolio and an expanding infrastructure, Scania’s target of selling 50per cent electric trucks of our total volume in Europe by 2030 is definitely within reach,” he added.
Earlier this year Scania presented its Charging Access service, which is now open for business across Europe, with the company claiming it offers seamless access to a European-wide charging network in 12 countries, with charge points ranked according to how suitable they are for trucks.
The company says that Independent of who is operating the charge points in the network, the customer will only get one consolidated invoice from Scania and that the service comes without any sign-up or monthly fees and with a predictable price when the service is used.
“We are pioneering a consolidated service for heavy vehicles in Europe,” said Magnus Höglund, head of charging solutions at Scania.
“It is primarily designed for en-route charging, our mission is to enable and simplify for true electrification by taking out every-thing from range anxiety to administrative grievances from the equation and offering truck-ready charge points,” said Höglund.
“We assess and rank all existing charge points manually, both the ones for heavy vehicles and those for passenger cars. This helps us identify the ones that are beneficial for our customers until there is a significant number and an extensive network dedicated solely to heavy vehicles,” he added.
Although the actual network for trucks and buses is limited to start with, Höglund foresees a rapid growth.
