After ten months in operation, we can draw a positive balance for the fully electric 18-ton trucks we use to transport fresh food in Berlin. We have seen energy savings of two-thirds compared to diesel vehicles and high reliability. “There are also no higher maintenance costs or longer downtimes than with our diesel models,” reports Matthias Strehl, Managing Director of Meyer Logistik.

Each day, the distribution trucks drive a shift of up to three tours with refrigerated food for the customers Lidl and Rewe in the greater Berlin area. They cover between 80 and 120 kilometers per tour – they do not exhaust their maximum range of at least 300 kilometers.

Around two-thirds savings compared with diesel drive

In terms of energy consumption, the trucks actually exceeded our expectations: We had expected between 60 and 90 kWh per 100 kilometers for interurban and city driving, and 80 to 110 KWh on highways. In fact, the E-Force trucks consume just under 88 kWh per 100 kilometers when used on mixed tours with city, rural road and highway traffic. That equates to fuel consumption of less than nine liters of diesel, he said. “Thanks to the optimal range for distribution traffic and the particularly economical consumption, which is two-thirds lower than for trucks with combustion engines, the all-electric 18-ton trucks are ideally suited to our business model,” explains Matthias Strehl.

A double shift a day is feasible without any problems

“When we were considering electric drives, we only asked ourselves what was relevant for our processes in regional distribution logistics,” says Strehl. The range of the electric trucks is around 300 km, and the two 400-volt batteries can be fully charged in just six hours. This means they can easily complete a double shift every day. They can transport 18 euro pallets or 30 roll containers per tour, exactly the same number as a comparable diesel truck. What’s more, with a rated output of 300 kW (408 hp), the E-Force are even superior to diesel vehicles in the same weight class.

Together with our partners Lidl and Rewe, we developed concepts for the long-term utilization of the two E-Force trucks. We are currently examining what the market has to offer and can well imagine purchasing further electric trucks: “We see no reason not to continue down this path,” says our Managing Director Matthias Strehl.