Pilot projekt
Tevex Logistics deploys first near-production e-truck from Daimler in Germany
Rheda-Wiedenbrück, 04. October 2021 – Tevex Logistics in Rheda-Wiedenbrück has a sustainable addition to its fleet: The logistics subsidiary of the Tönnies Group has its first e-truck in operation. The vehicle is a near-series vehicle in the trial phase. Tevex Logistics is the only one of a total of four project partners of the manufacturer Daimler with a refrigerated truck. The resulting CO2 reductions pay into the Group’s t30 sustainability strategy.
Visually, the eActros 300, the official name of the electric truck, is hardly distinguishable from conventional vehicles. But one thing is immediately noticeable: the noise level, or rather the lack of it. The 27-ton electric-based truck is extremely quiet, with no typical engine or cooling unit noises to be heard – not even in the driver’s cab, by the way. “That’s quite a sensation,” enthuses Clemens Tönnies, CEO.
On the way to series production, Tevex Logistics is closely accompanying Daimler Truck AG’s development of the eActros. “We test the trial vehicles in real day-to-day operations. All the data that is collected flows into the finalization towards a series vehicle,” explains Dirk Mutlak, Managing Director of Tevex Logistics. The tests by the Rheda-Wiedenbrück-based expert for ultra-fresh logistics are initially planned to run until next year. “Depending on how things go, however, a joint extension of the project is also possible.”
At Tevex Logistics in Rheda-Wiedenbrück, the new eActros is to be used in multi-shift operation. “We want to use it to deliver our own high-quality food products such as schnitzel specialties, bratwurst and the various customers in the extended local transport area on a daily basis,” says Dirk Mutlak. In total, the company expects to cover up to 600 kilometers per day. The e-truck is charged at the charging station on the company’s premises. “The infrastructure for this was created some time ago.” For the charging time from 20 to 80 percent, the manufacturer calculates just one hour.
By using the new electric-based truck, CO2 emissions are minimized to zero. “We want to produce sustainable food. Therefore, we are successively reducing all influences in the chain that we have an influence on or can influence. Logistics is one of them. The future belongs to climate-neutral drives,” clarifies Clemens Tönnies. “We are also intensively discussing the conversion of our company car fleet to alternative drives where possible.” In the short term, electricity for this is to be generated using photovoltaic systems on the company premises.
The new e-truck is a Mercedes three-axle chassis with a double-decker refrigerated body and an all-electric refrigeration unit. The technological heart of the truck is the drive unit, an electric rigid axle with two integrated electric motors and two-speed transmission. All assistance systems, such as turning, braking and lane-keeping assistants, are also installed, analogous to the Actros 5, which is increasingly being used by Tevex Logistics.
