These fully electric vehicles are said to provide a range of over 500 ‘emissions-free’ kilometres.
The electric truck assembly is situated at DAF Trucks’ main production plant. DAF expects production to rise to several thousand vehicles per annum over the next few years, in line with the increasing demand for fully electric trucks.
The basis for each new generation electric DAF truck is a so-called glider, a chassis without a driveline but with a cab. The glider is manufactured on DAF’s main truck production line. The 4x2 and 6x2 tractors and rigids are then completed to XD Electric and XF Electric trucks in an eight-step process on the Electric Truck Assembly production line.
The new facility comprises two assembly lines. Battery packs are assembled on the sub-assembly line while all high-voltage components, including batteries and driveline, are mounted on the chassis on the main assembly line. Checks are then carried out at the final stations to ensure the vehicles meet quality standards.
The XD Electric and XF Electric are tailored to match customer demands, which is why electric PACCAR drivelines are modular. In addition to the availability of two PACCAR EX engines (with six different performance ratings), the battery packs can also be mounted in different positions on the chassis, depending on the customer’s requirements.
The electric PACCAR drivelines are claimed to deliver outputs of between 170 and 350 kW (210 to 480 hp).
According to DAF, the electric PACCAR drivelines deliver outputs of between 170 and 350 kW (210 to 480 hp). DAF also offers a choice of battery packs using a modular approach. The smallest pack contains two ‘strings’ which together have a capacity of 210 kWh and offer a range of up to 200 kilometres. The largest has five ‘strings’ with a capacity of 525 kWh and can achieve a range of over 500 kilometres. The electric trucks are equipped for rapid charging and even the largest battery pack can be charged to 80% in just over 45 minutes.