We’ve all seen how car manufacturers are introducing greener vehicles; from those using hybrid fuel technology to those totally powered by electricity. So how far away is the all-electric truck?
If the growth of more environmentally-friendly passenger vehicles is anything to go by it’ll be some years before we’re seeing recharging stations for lorries at our motorway services. However, there are some developments that might hint at what we can expect in years to come.
In 2013 the first electrically powered 18-ton truck underwent road tests in Switzerland with Co-op showing an interest. The converted Iveco had a range of 300km and was powered by two 1.3-ton lithium batteries! More recently Renault (well known for their electric car range) started trialling a 16-ton electric D model used for making deliveries around Paris. At the moment the vehicle has a range of 200km and a full recharge takes 7 hours, so it’s certainly going to be a while before this technology can compete with conventional fuels.
But technology relentlessly moves on and you can’t stop progress. It’s almost inevitable these trials will be followed by others achieving much better performance. And while there’s no great rush for swapping fuel tanks for batteries just yet, it’ll be interesting to see what’s around the corner!
