Making timber transportation electric. Scania and customer SCA work on 80-ton e-truck
Every year, SCA transports about 8.5 million cubic metres of wood to industries, utilizing 265 timber trucks in collaboration with 87 haulage contractors. The Swedish company chose the e-truck to reduce CO2 emissions.
Scania and SCA, a primary maker of sawn wood products, are proving that with a new battery electric truck for timber transportation capable of total weights of up to 64 tonnes on public roads and 80 tonnes on private roads. Starting in 2022, the truck will transport timber in the Swedish region of Västerbotten, between SCA’s terminal in Gimonäs and its papermill in Obbola outside Umeå, as stated by Scania. Every year, SCA transports about 8.5 million cubic metres of wood to industries, utilizing 265 timber trucks in collaboration with 87 haulage contractors. The Swedish company chose the e-truck to reduce CO2 emissions. At the same time, it’s a further signal provided by Scania, which joined The Climate Pledge earlier in 2021.
Scania on the importance of the electric timber truck
«The key to reaching zero emissions in transport is electrification and we will get there together with customers and other stakeholders that share our values. Partnerships like this one with SCA, where we are early out and demonstrating what is possible, is a clear sign of a change of pace that is needed for us to be fossil free and deliver on the targets of the Paris agreement», commented Fredrik Allard, Head of E-mobility at Scania. «An electric timber truck is a symbol for something pretty cool. Transport of timber specifically has been talked about as something that may never be possible to electrify. The developments of the past few years, together with what we are now presenting with SCA, show just how quickly things are progressing with regards to both vehicles and batteries», he added.
«The cooperation with Scania is an important way for us to jointly find innovative solutions for sustainable transport. Electric timber trucks will be a strong contribution to SCA’s work with sustainability, where we are part of the solution for a fossil-free world. By running just one electric truck between Gimonäs and Obbola, we can reduce our carbon emissions by about 55,000 kg per year», explained Hans Djurberg, Head of Sustainability at SCA.
