Electric truck proves worth over two years

A fully electric Terberg YT202-EV terminal truck has been used for nearly two years to deliver materials to the Munich BMW Group plant.

Using a fully automatic Allison transmission, Scherm Group’s 65-tonne truck’s torque converter helps achieve maximum speed quickly to meet the tight delivery schedule

“The electric truck has proved itself in city distribution and the just-in-time delivery for BMW is working fluently,” Scherm Group fleet manager Ulf Frenzel says.

“The Allison transmission makes it possible to specifically use the power of the electric motor in the best manner. And the e-truck can be maneuvered easily and is extremely easy to drive.”

It’s equipped with a three-phase synchronous 614-volt motor with a maximum power rating of 138kW and a fully automatic Allison 3000 Series transmission. The transmission’s torque converter multiplies engine torque during start-up and acceleration.

Additionally, the Allison transmission eliminates power interrupts for increased productivity – even with a smaller engine. Without the Allison, a direct drive with a larger and significantly more expensive engine would have been necessary. The transmission’s power take-off (PTO) is used to drive the hydraulic pump, which saves an additional electric generator.

“The Allison transmission proves its reliability and ease of use in daily operation,” Frenzel says. “In addition, we have shorter maintenance downtime than with a conventional diesel vehicle, better productivity and therefore we are much more efficient.”

The heavy EV commutes in two-shift operations eight times daily, five days a week, between the BMW plant in Munich and the Scherm logistics centre three kilometres away.

It has completed over 3000 tours equal to about 17,000km since being introduced in 2015. More than 8000 litres of diesel have been saved during the past two years – equivalent to nearly 20 tonnes of carbon dioxide.

“We are really satisfied with the e-truck,” Frenzel says. “We wanted to prove that electric mobility also works in freight transport, and we achieved our goal.”

Elflein Spedition & Transport began using a similar Allison-equipped electric truck for short-distance transports to the BMW Group plant in Leipzig in November 2016.

Because of a higher annual driving performance compared with the vehicle in Munich, carbon dioxide savings of up to 19 tonnes are possible in Leipzig each year.