Scania and SCA to develop 80-tonne timber truck

New BEV truck from Scania will be used to haul timber

Scania has revealed that it has partnered with SCA to develop a battery-electric truck capable of hauling up to 80 tonnes. The vehicle is intended for use in the timber industry.

Starting in 2022, the plan is for the electric truck to transport timber in the Swedish region of Västerbotten on a route between SCA’s terminal in Gimonäs and its papermill in Obbola outside Umeå.

SCA, which is reported to be Europe’s largest private forest owner, produces wood products, pulp and packaging materials. Each year SCA transports about 8.5 million cubic metres of wood using 265 timber trucks across 87 haulage contractors.

The truck is intended to reduce the company’s environmental impact on the forest.

Scania has simulated the truck to allow ‘deep analysis’ of the required engineering.

“An electric timber truck is a symbol for something pretty cool,” said Fredrik Allard, head of E-mobility at Scania. “Transport of timber specifically has been talked about as something that may never be possible to electrify. The developments of the past few years, together with what we are now presenting with SCA, show just how quickly things are progressing with regards to both vehicles and batteries.”