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The forest industry is Sweden’s largest transport buyer. The industry is actively working to restructure transport, which would have a major positive effect on Sweden’s total carbon dioxide emissions.

That is why Skogforsk, together with 23 partners, is running the TREE project, whose goal is for half of the forest industry’s new trucks to be electrified by 2030.

As part of this, Alltransport i Östergötland AB, Holmen and Scania Sverige are now inaugurating a wood chip truck that will operate wood chip transports between Holmen’s combined plant in Braviken and Linghem’s sawmill, completely powered by electricity.

On November 19, Alltransport i Östergötland AB, Holmen and Scania Sverige arranged an inauguration of the electric wood chip truck at Scania Sverige in Norrköping.

Representatives of these three companies, all of whom are partners in the TREE (efficient, electrified forest transport) project, and Skogforsk, which is responsible for project coordination, were present. The project is partly financed by Vinnova via FFI (Fordonsstrategisk forskning och innovation).

With this inauguration, TREE’s vehicle fleet is complete and it will now be exciting to follow up and measure the performance of all twelve vehicles in real operation. The TREE project uses reality as a laboratory when we show with a nationwide system demonstration that a large-scale shift from diesel to electricity is possible. Our hope is that if it works in the complex environment of the forestry industry, it will work in several other industries, says Mats Ostelius, communications specialist at Skogforsk.

Joint ribbon cutting and premiere trip to Braviken sawmill

During the opening ceremony, the organizers talked about the project and inaugurated the electric wood chip truck by cutting a ribbon, when Maria Björk Hummelgren, vice president and head of business policy for the East Sweden Chamber of Commerce, also got scissors in hand.

The electric wood chip truck then set off on its maiden journey to Holmen’s sawmill in Braviken, a route operated by Alltransport.

As a transport company, we want to enable our customers’ transition journey towards more environmentally friendly transport and build long-term partnerships that give us the courage to invest in new technology. With the TREE project, we have achieved a concrete example of this – the region’s first electric wood chip truck, whose equipment has a total weight of 72 tons. The transition requires a range of technologies and fuels to create a more sustainable transport sector, says Mathias Lidén, CEO of Alltransport.

Reduces the forest industry’s and Sweden’s carbon dioxide emissions

The Swedish forest industry is Sweden’s largest transport buyer and the industry is actively working to streamline and restructure transport, which would have a significant effect on the country’s entire carbon dioxide emissions. The electric wood chip truck will transport wood chips between Holmen’s combined plant in Braviken, with a sawmill and paper mill, and the sawmill in Linghem. Holmen sees great potential in electrifying transport, which, like the wood chip truck, takes place on specific routes and is therefore plannable.

Since 2005, we at Holmen have reduced our emissions by over 90 percent. Transport is one of the main sources of the emissions we have left and we are continuously evaluating different options to reduce them. Through the TREE project, we are learning about the conditions for electrified transport. Wood chip transport is a good place to start testing – the routes are plannable and therefore easier to optimize, says Erik Olsson, timber manager for the South region at Holmen Skog.

A 72-ton tile stacker – powered entirely by electricity

The current electric chip truck is a Scania R 450E 6×2*4 model and is equipped with an electric machine with 450 kW (~610 hp) continuous power. The batteries are Scania’s own NMC batteries and the installed capacity is 624 kWh, which makes the truck well suited for regional transport. Scania’s batteries have a high energy density and are adapted for low temperatures with a charging power of up to 375 kW.

The range of the vehicle is estimated to be approximately 250–300 km for the current operation. With a 45-minute charge, an additional 120–150 km range is added.

Scania is driving the shift to sustainable transport, where electrification is a crucial piece of the puzzle – not just for the forest industry, but for society as a whole. To succeed, brave decisions and new collaborations across traditional boundaries are required. Through our involvement in the TREE project, we show that the transition is also underway in forest transport. We are proud to be driving the development towards fossil-free transport in practice, together with our partners, says Stefan Lindblom, Director Business Support at Scania Sweden.

For more information, contact:

Andrea Stuart, PR specialist Holmen, andrea.stuart@holmen.com , 073-070 66 95
Sarah Klint, Marketing Manager Alltransport, sarah.klint@alltransport.se , 011-19 83 24
Hans Strömberg, PR & Press Scania Sweden, hans.stromberg@scania.com , 070-088 35 52

About the vehicle

Modell: Scania R 450E 6×2*4.

Installed battery capacity: 624 kWh.

Total weight: 72,000 kg. With the trailer included, the maximum load weight on the BK4 road is approximately 47,000 kg. On the BK1 road approximately 39,000 kg. The operating weight is just under 25,000 kg.

The supplier of the wood chip construction and trailer is Eksjö MT AB.

 About the TREE project

TREE (Transition to efficient electrified forestry transport) is a collaborative research and innovation project coordinated by Skogforsk, the Swedish forestry research institute, and the network organization CLOSER at Lindholmen Science Park.

The project’s goal is to contribute to 50 percent of all new trucks in the forestry industry being electrified by 2030. The project involves 23 partners, including forestry companies, logistics companies, hauliers, charging companies, technology companies and research actors.

To read previous Skogforsk related posts click here 

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The post Östergötland’s first electric wood chip truck is now rolling      appeared first on International Forest Industries.