From this week, the Netherlands has a heavy electric truck richer. The Volvo FE Electric 6 × 2 with electric squatter press construction is used by international waste-to-product company Renewi to collect industrial waste in Amsterdam. The ability to actively reduce emissions, make the fleet more sustainable and make a concrete contribution to a cleaner living environment were the main reasons for Renewi to invest in a heavy-duty electric vehicle. The Volvo FE Electric for Renewi has a GVW of 27 tons. This makes it the heaviest electric vehicle that is produced ex-factory and in series by an OEM.
Renewi's Volvo FE Electric is used for waste collection in inner-city areas. The vehicle is equipped with four lithium-ion battery packs of 50 kW each. The batteries also charge during braking, which makes the Volvo FE Electric very suitable for use with a lot of stop-and-go. Charging is done with 400 V AC charging with 22 kW during the night or DC fast charging up to max. 150 kW. The well-known CCS / Combo2 connections are used.
Contributing to the circular economy
As a leading waste-to-product company Renewic daily new life of used materials. About 90% of the waste that Renewi processes is given a second life as a raw material or energy with which it produces a significant amount of CO2 saves. Buying the electric vehicle with which the recycler can further reduce emissions and make the fleet more sustainable does not come as a surprise.
“From waste to product in a sustainable way, starts with sustainable collection. Waste collection will change in the coming years with the urgency to reduce CO2 further reduce. Renewi contributes to this by supplementing its fleet with zero-emission vehicles. We are delighted that we are now one of the first organizations worldwide to be able to deploy an electric collection vehicle, which is delivered ex-factory, ”said Meuurdjan Botman, Managing Director Commercial Waste Netherlands.
Special software
To use battery capacity as efficiently as possible, Volvo Trucks supports Renewi in a complete system. Wijnand van den Brink, Manager Special Products & Innovation at Volvo Trucks Netherlands explains: “Our job is to facilitate the transition to electric vehicles. We do this by offering a total solution consisting of route planning assistance, correctly specified vehicles, charging equipment, financing and services. ”
It is a challenge to maximize payload while optimizing driving range. “Electric driving actually means working differently. To prevent carriers from buying too much battery capacity, which is at the expense of charging capacity and is also too expensive, we offer support for the best use and optimal charging of the batteries, ”continues Wijnand van den Brink.
Volvo Trucks has special software in which the route, the number of stops and the weights can be entered. The system then shows whether the route is possible, how much energy is consumed per kilometer, how much battery capacity remains, what the average transport speed will be and how long the journey will take.
Full range electric
In addition to a Volvo FE Electric, Volvo Trucks will also deliver the first lighter Volvo FL Electric this year. In addition, sales of the heavier Volvo FM and Volvo FMX Electric will start next year. And the arrival of the Volvo FH and FH16 Electric has also been announced. From 2021, Volvo Trucks will offer its complete heavy-duty range electrically.
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