SCA and Scania have together developed the first electric timber truck with a technical capability of up to 80 tonnes total weight. The vehicle is a sustainable transport solution and another step towards fossil-free society. The electric truck will transport timber in the Swedish region of Västerbotten, between SCA’s terminal in Gimonäs and the paper mill in Obbola outside Umeå.
To further strengthen the sustainable value chain, SCA and Scania has developed the world's first electric timber truck. SCA's goal is to make the entire value chain fossil-free. The new electric timber truck can be driven with a total weight of 64 tonnes on public roads and 80 tonnes on private roads.
"We have come a long way in industrial processes, which are already 96 percent fossil-free. We are very pleased that we together with Scania can break new ground to make the heaviest transports fossil-free," says Hans Djurberg, Head of Sustainability at SCA.
The electric truck is transporting timber in the Swedish region of Västerbotten, between SCA’s terminal in Gimonäs and its papermill in Obbola outside Umeå.
For SCA, electrifying road transport is an important part of work to reduce its environmental impact. Every year, SCA transports about 8.5 million cubic metres of wood to industries.
”The cooperation with Scania is an important way for us to jointly find innovative solutions for sustainable transport. By running just one electric truck between Gimonäs and Obbola, we can reduce our carbon emissions by about 55,000 kg per year. We have come a long way in our industrial processes, which are already 96 percent fossil-free. We are very pleased that we together with Scania can break new ground to make the heaviest transports fossil-free," says Hans Djurberg, Head of Sustainability at SCA.”
The electric timber truck will be continuously studied by the research institute Skogforsk to collect relevant data that can form the basis for comparisons with conventional diesel-powered timber transports.
Jörgen Bendz, Industrial Supply Manager at SCA, notes that the ability to electrify the heaviest transports has great potential for the company's sustainability work.
"We have worked hard and successfully towards fossil-free energy in our industries and we also have a significant part of our transports by rail, so we have been very keen to find a fossil-free solution for the heavy transport with raw material that goes to the industry by truck. We hope and believe that electric timber trucks over time can become the key to solving this challenge," says Jörgen Bendz.
In March 2023, SCA did some test driving with the electric timber truck to the forest in order to transport wood. It is the first time ever that an electric timber truck is being used practically in the forest. The truck is normally driven between Gimonäs wood terminal and Obbola kraftliner mill. SCA wanted to test the electric timber truck in a forest environment and when there was a suitable place at a good distance from Umeå, they saw the possibility of being able to carry out some test runs.
The felling was on forest land in Djäkneböle outside Umeå, where we had felled for a private forest owner. The forest road is a couple of kilometers long and has both a sharper curve and a slight incline, so it felt like a suitable environment to try out the electric timber truck there. It was particularly successful that it was also in a winter climate. The whole route was about six miles round trip, twice as long as the normal trips between the terminal and Obbola.
“It was very good to drive and I didn't experience any major difference even though it was a forest road. The truck drove as quietly and smoothly as usual, even though there was snow and a little ice on the road, says driver Göran Grundberg, who is the owner of Grundberg's trucking company, which drives the electric timber truck for SCA.
In order to continue the development towards large-scale electric transports, the charging infrastructure needs to be reviewed and developed in the areas in which SCA operate.
The project is a part of a national initiative where leading Swedish players have joined forces to accelerate the transition to electrified emission-free heavy transport on our roads. The initiative, lead by CLOSER,receives co-financing from the Vehicle Strategic Research and Innovation (FFI) program through Vinnova, the Swedish Energy Agency and the Swedish Transport Administration.
It is possible to drive longer distances with heavy electric transports. What the film tp see SCA's and Scania's new battery electric vehicle in operation.
SCA has done some test driving with the electric timber truck to the forest in order to transport wood. It is the first time ever that an electric timber truck is being used practically in the forest. The truck is normally driven between Gimonäs wood terminal and Obbola kraftliner mill.
To further strengthen the sustainable value chain, SCA has, together with Scania, developed the world's first electric timber truck with a capacity of 80 tonnes. SCA's goal is to make the entire value chain fossil-free. "We have come a long way in industrial processes, which are already 96 percent fossil-free. We are very pleased that we together with Scania can break new ground to make the heaviest transports fossil-free," says Hans Djurberg, Head of Sustainability at SCA.