Green Truck Award for DAF CF Electric VDL E-Power
The DAF CF Electric VDL E-Power has been voted Green Truck Logistics Solution 2019. On the eve of the Transport Logistic trade fair in Munich, leading German trade magazines VerkehrsRundschau and TRUCKER also praise container carrier Contargo for being the first in Germany to commission DAF's CF Electric VDL E-Power. The two fully electrified field-test trucks are transporting containers in the inland port of Duisburg. The Green Truck Logistics Solution Award is a prestigious award for the deployment of promising emerging technologies for innovative, sustainable logistics in Europe.
“When awarding the Green Truck Awards 2019, we choose a concept that is convincing with a demonstrably practical relevance”, says Gerhard Grünig, chief editor of VerkehrsRundschau and TRUCKER magazines. “The jury is deeply impressed that Contargo is not using the twee DAF CF Electric trucks for appearances’ sake. This carrier has spent around two years to investigate with great precision whether electrified vehicles are commercially viable for transport up to 44 tonnes.”
Progress
“We are overjoyed that the jury has crowned our e-truck, which we developed in collaboration with DAF, with this prestigious award”, says Willem van der Leegte, chairman of VDL Groep. “With the DAF CF Electric VDL E-Power, our customers are leading the way in the development of zero-emission transport and noise reduction, which, certainly in urban areas, will become the standard. This e-truck offers the world significant progress in terms of establishing sustainable goods and distribution transport. The award is an important signal that we are on the right track as European market leader and transition partner for the electrification of heavy transport. It is particularly special that this award is being presented in Germany, one of our core markets and the country where we are the partner of several key players in the automotive industry.”
‘Almost 90% CO2 reduction achievable’
The Green Truck Award is awarded partly based on verified calculations. According to these calculations, the deployment of the DAF CF Electric VDL E-Power reduces CO2 emissions by at least 38 percent, even when Contargo only uses electricity that originates from the regular grey-green energy mix in Germany. “Contargo has plans to make the switch to green energy”, Jan Burgdorf, head of testing and technology with VerkehrsRundschau and TRUCKER explains. “If that happens, the well-to-wheel CO2 emissions can be reduced by almost 90 percent.”
Extensive field test
The two fully electric DAF trucks of Contargo – a subsidiary of Rhenus – are part of an extensive field test with a large number of trucks in Europe. The DAF CF Electric VDL E-Power has a fully electrified 4x2 cab, developed for transporting up to 37 tonnes in urban areas. The vehicle is based on the DAF CF and has an all-electric engine with the technology of VDL's E-Power. The core of the intelligent drive unit is a 210 kW electric motor powered by a lithium-ion battery pack with a total capacity of 144 kilowatt-hours. The CF offers a driving range of approximately 100 kilometres, depending on the weight of the load, making the truck ideally suited for ‘clean’ transport in high volumes in urban areas. The batteries use a fast charging function, allowing them to be recharged within 30 minutes. Full recharging the batteries takes 90 minutes.