- ElectricDrives had the opportunity to attend the annual Scania Winter event in Norway, where the manufacturer shows off its latest range of truck offerings to both the media and potential customers.
- With Scania now offering a wide range of BEV trucks for every application, it’s clear that whilst current adoption of BEV trucks is still relatively low, the start of the electric truck transition is well underway – just five years after Scania brought its first fully-electric truck to market.
- By demonstrating its electric trucks in some of the harshest conditions for a battery electric vehicle – sub-zero temperatures – Scania is also showing that if its BEV trucks can work here, they can work anywhere.
Scania bets on electric in the run up to 2030
What is Scania’s BEV plan?
Much like ICE-powered Scanias of the past, its latest BEV range also remains fully modular – allowing cab type, wheels, axles, electric motors, and batteries to all be fined tuned to customer specifications.
Scania is currently offering three different electric motor setups, which are all available with multiple stages of power. The motor range kicks off with the EM C1-2, a two-speed electric motor with a continuous power output of up to 320 horsepower. That’s followed by the EM C1-4, a four-speed unit with a continuous power output of between 360 and 540 horsepower, depending on specification. The range is then topped off with what Scania calls the EV equivalent of its legendary V8 diesel engines: The EM C3-6, a six-speed application with a maximum continuous power output of 610 horsepower.
Battery choice is also modular – as adding more batteries eats into payload capacity. It currently offers two stackable sizes, including a 104kWh unit and a 208kWh unit – which can be combined up to a maximum battery capacity of 728kWh. At this capacity, a range of 600 kilometres is possible with a 29 tonne gross train weight. Scania also plans to soon introduce a 104kWh under cab unit, helping to further extend range.
So, for some electric truck applications, such as a recycling truck, which will travel a comparatively small distance in a day, a much smaller battery capacity (which also reduces the initial purchase cost) is preferable.
The combination that Scania believes will be the ‘killer spec’ for BEV adoption in Europe is a medium sized cab, combined with a 330kW motor and and 520kWh battery pack – giving a 400 kilometre range with a payload of 24 tonnes.
Scania is hoping that by 2030, 50% of its annual sales volume will come from electrified models – an ambitious target that is just five years away. With a maximum gross train weight of 74 tonnes possible on its BEV platform, depending on specification, it’s already clear that electric trucks can replace a diesel unit in almost every conceivable use case.
Back-to-back testing: BEV vs Diesel V8
At Scania’s winter event, we got the chance to back-to-back test electric trucks against their diesel-powered counterparts. Coming straight out of a diesel unit into one of the electric units highlights the contrast.
Out on the road, the BEV units once again shine through. Even with fully loaded trailer, the BEV unit quickly and smoothly makes its way up to the 90km/h (56 mph) limiter, even on long uphill stretches of road. Once at that cruising speed, the cab also remains remarkably quiet in comparison – even on winter tyres. Throughout the trip, several of Scania’s demo drivers told us how they loved the calmer drive and speed pick up of the BEVs – even those who still had a soft spot in their heart for a Scania V8.
One demo driver, from Portugal, told us about the impressive range seen from a BEV unit being driven in the mild climate of his mediterranean country – with it exceeding Scania’s quoted figures. Scania have clearly been conservative with their estimates, so as to keep customers happy no matter which climate they’re operating the truck in – with unforeseen extra range being an added bonus.
The first day of testing also brought some of the worst weather for driving: Freezing rain, resulting in an ice layer over the top of the snow. This isn’t a good condition for any vehicle, but with the electric units, the ability to find the sweet spot on the throttle was a clear benefit, compared to the torque lag that ICE vehicles experience in comparison. That benefit in winter driving extends to electric passenger cars, too.
Scania is still expecting to sell a significant number of diesel units in the coming years, but it firmly believes that its current electric offerings could, with money no object, work tomorrow on the wide majority of European haulage operations. The crucial steps to achieve that include getting that message out to its customers, both through messaging and short term testers of electric trucks – so that hauliers can see that proof in the pudding.
Charging
Electric trucks have clearly proven that they can haul all manner of loads, and with more refinement than their diesel counterparts. However, for them to work for every use case in the real world, charging infrastructure needs to be in place – but thankfully, it looks like the electric truck industry as a whole is working towards growing this.
In 2024, Scania span off its depot charging specialists to create a new subsidiary, called Erinion. While it’ll offer its all-in-one turnkey solution to any haulier, its close knitted relationship with Scania also makes it simple to sell its depot charging solutions side by side with Scania BEV trucks. Whilst it currently only operates in Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, it’s hoping to expand to cover all of Europe by 2028.
The general message was that for the majority of electric truck fleets, depot charging will largely cover all charging needs. However, for those electric trucks covering more sporadic routes that vary day-to-day, public truck charging will play a key role. That’s where Milence comes into the equation, which we’ve spoken about before on ElectricDrives. This public truck charging joint venture which has brought much of the truck industry together – being established between Daimler Truck, Volvo Group, and Traton Group (which encompasses Scania and MAN). By 2027, Milence is hoping to establish 1,700 truck charging points across Europe.
Scania also launched its ‘Charging Access’ service back in 2023, which gives access to charging points across multiple CPOs at a set price. That service is currently set at €0.40 per kWh, though Scania note that a price of €0.30 per kWh would be ideal to be comparable price-wise to ICE. Of course, it’s important to again remember that many electric fleets will be able to do without public truck charging altogether – instead relying on cheaper depot charging.
Stay tuned to ElectricDrives for more electric truck related content over the next few weeks, as we reveal more insights from our fact finding mission to Norway.
