The world’s first electric timber truck has completed its run

When the world’s first electric timber truck were taken into operation in June 2022 and began running between SCA’s timber terminal in Gimonäs outside Umeå and SCA’s paper mill in Obbola, it marked a groundbreaking step for the forest industry. Being able to electrify very heavy transport, such as timber transports, had been seen as almost impossible.

“But it worked, and it has worked really well too, Jonas notes. Together with Scania and also Skogforsk, we developed a vehicle with a total capacity of 80 tonnes. The truck has been running five days a week for four years, without any major problems.”

Great interest

Jonas emphasizes the excellent collaboration with both Scania and Göran Grundberg, whose haulage company operated the truck.

“Everything has gone very smoothly. There has also been a great interest in the electric timber truck, both from the industry and from others, resulting in a great deal of positive attention. That has been enjoyable too”, Jonas says.

The truck covered a distance of about 30 km round trip, making roughly six trips per working day. Each day, it needed to be charged about twice.

“I am very happy that I had the opportunity to be part of this project and to drive the world’s first electric timber truck! It has been nothing but fun. It actually felt a bit strange when we sent the truck back to Scania. I would have liked to keep it for a few more years because it is in really good condition, but the project period was set at four years”, Göran says.

Many lessons learned

Jonas notes that it has been a highly educational project.

“We have learned a lot! Both about the technology and batteries for electric vehicles, as well as the importance of the power grid and functioning charging infrastructure. We can also see that battery-powered operation provides good driver comfort thanks to a quieter working environment. And of course, there are the environmental benefits of reduced emissions.”

The electric timber truck has covered around 130 000 kilometers, which corresponds to a little more than three trips around the globe.

“According to our calculations, four years of electric operation have helped reduce carbon dioxide emissions by around 220,000 kg — approximately 55,000 kg per year. That is very gratifying. Sustainability and reduced carbon emissions are an important focus for SCA and for the society”, says Jonas.

Paving the way for more trucks

During the winter of 2023, the truck was tested on a forest road in winter conditions outside Umeå to see whether it could transport timber directly from the forest to the Obbola paper mill.

“The winter trial in Umeå was successful and paved the way for SCA’s second electric timber truck, which was equipped with a crane. For the past two years, it has been operating between the forest and the timber terminal in Östavall in western Medelpad. Otherwise, winter has been somewhat challenging for the electric timber truck in Umeå. When temperatures dropped below minus 30 degrees Celsius, we had to leave it standing for a few days because the batteries could not handle the cold. And more charging was required in winter. But we did not expect anything else”, says Jonas.

“Yes, Göran agrees. But battery development has advanced rapidly. Today the situation is completely different, both in terms of range and capacity.”

Both Göran and SCA are having thoughts about getting new electric timber trucks.

“I could certainly imagine an electric timber truck, provided the numbers add up,” says Göran. “Right now, a new one costs almost twice as much as a standard timber truck. But there are subsidies available, so I’ll have to see if the financials work out.”

For SCA, the trial in Östavall, where the electric timber truck with a crane is in full swing, continous.

“Things are moving very fast. The truck in Östavall is two years newer than the one in Umeå and has completely different capabilities. But we’ll see if we decide to acquire new electric timber trucks in collaboration with our haulage companies. If we choose to do it in Umeå, we already have a charge at Obbola paper mill, which is an advantage, emphasize Jonas.”

Photo: Henke Olofsson

The project is a part of REEL, 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.