European trucks are allowed to carry a maximum of 40t and tow a 12m container. Since 2015, Jula Logistics uses a vehicle twice that size, which means it carries two containers and is 32m long. This truck has a total weight of 64 tonnes, including load and trailer. By carrying a bigger cargo in each transport, Jula Logistics saves 70% on energy and emissions per transported unit. A full-electric version will be put into operation sometimes the first half of 2022.
”We use intermodal transport. Where our cargo arrives to the port in Gothenburg by boat, it is stowed onto a train that goes to Falköping. From there, the cargo is carried by truck the last bit of the journey to our warehouse in Skara. To make this chain of transport even more sustainable by using a truck powered by electricity from the solar panels that we will build on the roof of our warehouse is just fantastic,” said Lennart Karlsson, CEO, Jula Logistics.
The solution that Scania has assisted Jula Logistics with enables the extra-long and heavy vehicle to take the round-trip from where the train stops in Falköping to the warehouse in Skara a couple of times, a distance that measures 60km.
”The new, extremely long and heavy electrified truck is a great example of how a close dialogue with customers makes it possible for us to build a one-of-a-kind vehicle that meets that particular customer’s demands at a very early stage, also for a model that is not in series production,” says Fredrik Allard, head of e-mobility at Scania.
A detailed overview of energy consumption, an optimised route schedule and charging demand is meticulously simulated beforehand to enable this transport flow. A vital part in the collaboration with Jula Logistics will be to optimise the charging process, related infrastructure and the complete flow in due time.
”Our partnership with Scania shows that this is technically possible, but we also need to create a long-term possibility to drive these longer vehicles that enable us to have a larger amount of cargo on the last part of our intermodal flow,” says Karlsson.