{"id":36483,"date":"2024-11-18T11:24:12","date_gmt":"2024-11-18T10:24:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dhl-freight-connections.com\/?p=36483"},"modified":"2024-11-18T11:24:29","modified_gmt":"2024-11-18T10:24:29","slug":"on-the-road-on-quiet-tires-with-an-e-truck","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dhl-freight-connections.com\/en\/business\/on-the-road-on-quiet-tires-with-an-e-truck\/","title":{"rendered":"On the road on quiet tires with an e-truck"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Robert Weiss is a veteran. But one thing is new after all this time: the truck driver had to switch from his usual diesel to a new electric truck. We visited him at the Freight Terminal in Cologne (Germany).<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

At 6 o\u2019clock in the morning, the DHL Freight terminal on the north side of Cologne, Germany, buzzes with activity. Nearly all of the 115 loading docks are occupied, employees scurry busily about, pallets upon pallets wait to be loaded into trucks. Robert Weiss is a picture of calm. At dock number nine, he\u2019s getting everything ready for the next tour with his electric truck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Along with the hydrogen truck \u201cPaul\u201d<\/a>, this is the second electric truck in use at the Cologne location. Weiss is very proud to be driving it. \u201cI was happy when my boss asked me to be the driver,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s an honor, after all, and a sign that he\u2019s pleased with the job I\u2019m doing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Weiss starts his workday at 5:30 a.m. Every morning he goes to dispatch to pick up the documents for his daily tour \u2013 packing slips that tell him what needs to be delivered where each day. He stays within about a 40-kilometer radius, with two tours a day in Cologne\u2019s Ossendorf district. He knows his customers, so he\u2019s quick to identify the pallets he\u2019ll be delivering with his e-truck. Today he has ten destinations on the itinerary. Up until now his daily routine is basically the same as his colleagues with the diesel trucks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That changes shortly after 6:30. Loading is complete, the dispatch papers are signed, and the tour uploaded to the scanner. The Volvo FL Electric has been plugged in all night, is fully charged and ready to go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Battery indicator instead of fuel indicator<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEspecially for the shorter-range tours, the e-truck is perfect,\u201d says Weiss as he turns the ignition key. Instead of the rumble of the diesel engine, we hear nothing. And off he goes. Brand spanking new, freshly washed and a gleaming yellow, the truck is a real eye-catcher on the road. And it gets noticed for what\u2019s missing, too: \u201cPeople always stop and look when I drive by, wondering why they don\u2019t hear anything,\u201d says Weiss. The only noise comes from the friction of the tires on the road and a soft whirr.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Inside the driver\u2019s cab, the first impression is no different than a conventional truck. But a closer look reveals a different dashboard display, with battery indicator instead of fuel indicator. The truck has an automatic transmission, wraparound mirror to enhance visibility, and on the outside an emergency button that can re-start the truck\u2019s system if there\u2019s a problem.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n\"\"\"\"<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n

Emission-free in 2050<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The e-truck was deployed in Cologne in March 2024. It\u2019s one of now over 500 trucks in Freight\u2019s sustainable fleet. By 2030, DHL Freight plans to deploy 6,500 heavy-duty trucks with zero-emission or low-emission drive technology to reduce CO2 emissions by 30% compared to 2019. This is the main goal of Freight\u2019s decarbonization strategy<\/a> \u2013 a top priority over the next several years \u2013 on the way to achieving zero emissions by 2050.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n<\/span> Infobox<\/span>\n\n\n

Decarbonization Strategy<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
    \n
  • 0 emissions by 2050<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • 30% less emissions by 2030 (compared to 2019)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • 6.500 sustainable heavy-duty vehicles deployed by 2030<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • 1st Wave: NL, SE, DK, FI, CZ, FR, AT, CH, DE<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • 2nd Wave: ES, PT, BE, IE, PL, IT, SK, NO<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Subcontractors will be included<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Green Carrier Certification recognizes sustainable subcontractor<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<\/section><\/div>\n\n\n

    Robert Weiss is certainly impressed by his new vehicle. \u201cYou don\u2019t hear it, because it\u2019s so quiet \u2013 that\u2019s also nice here inside the vehicle. It\u2019s eco-friendly and accelerates fast,\u201d he says, adding with a laugh: \u201cSometimes it takes people by surprise when the light turns green and I leave them behind.\u201d Electric engines react much more immediately that diesel powered vehicles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n

    The fact that Freight has already deployed hundreds of low-emission or zero-emission trucks is a great achievement and I want to thank all colleagues, including those at our service partners. We will continue to rely on different technologies for now because it\u2019s not yet clear which drive technology will become most widespread and when \u2013 also in terms of existing charging infrastructure.<\/p>\n\"ChristophChristoph Sch\u00f6nwandt<\/strong>, VP GoGreen DHL Freight<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

    Known around the town<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    When Weiss arrives at each of his customers, the mood is positive. He unloads the goods, the customers sign on the scanner to confirm delivery, and they joke around a bit. \u201cThat\u2019s why I enjoy the work,\u201d says Weiss. \u201cWhen you drive a regular route, you know everyone, and you can have some fun with each other. That\u2019s worth a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"\"
    Patrick Frings (right) is a warehouse clerk at Kirschbaum and accepts the shipment: \u201cI think it's great that he's on the road with the environmentally friendly vehicle.<\/em> Because sustainability is also very important to us and our customers.\"<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    After his deliveries are done, Weiss returns to the terminal. His first tour of the day is deliveries, followed by a second tour to pick up shipments from customers. He drives 80 to 90 kilometers per day \u2013 up to 20,000 a year. \u201cFor local transport the Volvo e-truck is perfect. There is less wear-and-tear from the stop-and-go traffic in the city,\u201d says Tobias Meisen, who is network manager at the Cologne terminal. \u201cWe\u2019re currently adding more charging stations here in Cologne and want to continue to expand the use of electric vehicles. We\u2019re also getting extremely positive feedback from customers on our e-truck and hydrogen truck. It\u2019s great that they see such a concrete example of what we\u2019re doing in the area of sustainability. And our drivers, who used to swear by diesel, now don\u2019t want to go back to driving diesel!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Later in the afternoon, the work day for Weiss and his Volvo truck winds down. He unloads the shipments he\u2019s picked up, returns the pallets, submits his paperwork at the desk, and hooks the Volvo up to the charging station every other day. Weiss has vacation soon and his colleagues are already lining up to drive the e-truck while he\u2019s gone. \u201cI hope they take care of my truck,\u201d says Weiss. He\u2019s only been driving the electric truck since March, but they already make a real good team.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n

    \n<\/span> Infobox<\/span>\n\n\n

    The Volvo FL 16.7t is used for Freight\u2019s Pick-up&Delivery routes.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
      \n
    • Payload: 5 metric tons<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Unloaden weight: 10 metric tons<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Permissible total weight: 15 metric tons<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Top speed: 85 km\/h<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Engine: 130 kW continuous output (175 horsepower)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Batteries: 4<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Range when fully charged: 180 km<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<\/section><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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