Multimodal Logistics Provider, Ewals Cargo Care, Begins Trial of Volvo Electric Truck as Another Step on Path to Decarbonisation & Sustainable Logistics

ESSEX, UK. November 27th, 2023 - Ewals Cargo Care takes another step this year in developing its alternative fuels strategy and has started to evaluate the potential addition of electrified vehicles to its existing fleet of 685 trucks.

This fleet already utilises low-emission diesel trucks that meet the European Euro VI standards; however, the benefits of electric vehicles and the reduced impact they are believed to have on the environment warrants investigation.

So, they have recently conducted a real-world trial of the technology and it was identified that the UK and their northern trucking port, based close to Immingham and the Port of Humber, represented the ideal location.

 

“When estimated over the lifetime of a battery-electric 40-tonne tractor-trailer entering service in 2021, these vehicle models produce at least 63% lower emissions than diesel. As the grid continues to decarbonize, the emissions of these will fall (further) - the study shows an 84% (additional) reduction of emissions when using only renewable electricity.”

 

For our clients, electrification could markedly reduce their supply chain CO2 emissions output, which in turn could make a healthy reduction in their overall carbon footprint.

For us, as a multimodal operator with its own fleet and ambition for the decarbonisation of its service, these lifetime savings would make another sizeable contribution to our sustainability initiatives. 

For the trial, they selected one of the giants of the HGV industry, Volvo Trucks, to see what their flagship product, the Volvo FM Electric, may be able to offer.

 

“The Volvo FM Electric can carry large volumes of food, consumer goods and industrial supplies with speed and comfort between logistics hubs and cities.

Range: Up to 300km. Continuous power: Up to 490kW. Gross combined weight: Up to 42 t”

 

It is one of 5 vehicles that have debuted in Volvo Truck’s electric vehicle solution range and its power and range make it well suited to pull the large Mega Trailers used as standard in our fleet, a trailer with a capacity of up to 11% more than a standard curtain side trailer.

Location, Route, and Load. Where Do Electric Vehicles Fit In?

Due to their regular charging requirement, the current best use case of electrified vehicles is in the short hauls between the key waypoints of a multimodal journey, i.e., a client’s premises, rail stations and seaports in the network, and the cargo’s ‘last mile’ to its destination. With its island geography and population density, the UK provided ample opportunity to test these types of short-haul trips.

 

Being judged when the vehicle makes its journeys will be a range of factors such as:

- Vehicle handling – Does it handle as well as existing fleet vehicles?

- Economy performance – How does the cost per Km/Mile compare to the standard? 

- Time taken – Does the required electric driving style add time to the journey?

- Driver comfort – Does the driver find the vehicle to be of similar comfortability?

What Next? The Future of Electrification for Ewals Cargo Care

 

ECC looks forward to finishing its evaluation soon, with an update on the specific results and their implications to follow when ready. Hopefully, it will prove to be a win for all, with a win for greener logistics and, in turn, a win for a greener planet.