Duvenbeck, a freight forwarding and logistics firm, is taking another step towards transitioning its fleet to low-emission vehicles.
In July of this year, the German company tested a totally electric terminal tractor unit at its Rastatt site. It was used to transport uncoupled (semi-)trailers at a vehicle manufacturer’s site.
“The terminal tractor unit made by the Dutch manufacturer, Terberg, has completed its first
operations in everyday service without causing any problems,” stated Volker Mürb, Duvenbeck Branch Manager in Rastatt.
He added, “The performance of the electric motor is in no way inferior to that of a diesel engine. It was easily possible to complete a day‘s shift without having to recharge the battery.”
In addition, Duvenbeck runs a vehicle manufacturer’s trailer yard. This includes a large-scale parking area where truck trailers and swap bodies, which are full of supplied components, are made accessible for driving to the required unloading locations at the facility. The firm employs ten so-called handling trucks for this purpose in Rastatt. Every day, Duvenbeck performs hundreds of handling movements. Testing an emission-free electric model is part of the company’s response to consumers’ increased demand for sustainability in the auto industry.
According to a statement, Duvenbeck will now examine whether the test should be turned into a long-term phase lasting one year. The company has used tractor units powered by a diesel engine to move the trailers up to now. The capacity of the battery of the Terberg YT203-EV electric variant, which has been tested, is 150 kilowatt hours (kWh) and the unit is roughly two-and-a-half times more expensive than the diesel version. It is also necessary to have the appropriate charging infrastructure.
“Overall, any switch to electrically powered terminal tractor units would entail significant additional investments,” noted Mürb.
