Scania’s regional battery electric vehicles rock!

Following the delivery of a battery-electric vehicle (BEV) to Shoprite in South Africa comes the news that customers all over the world are snapping up Scania’s electric trucks.

Scania introduced BEVs for regional transport in June 2022. With orders reaching 640 vehicles to date, the company sees clear momentum for electric vehicles.

Following the announcement nine months ago, Scania has seen a strongly rising interest in these solutions: “We know that with our wide range of electrified vehicles, we can offer sustainable zero-emission solutions for our customers. The number of orders is a sign that the market is becoming more than ready to take on electrification,” says Fredrik Allard, head of electrification, Scania.

With orders for the battery-electric regional trucks approaching 650 and counting, it is clear they offer wide-ranging electrification capabilities longed for by the transport industry, while the 624 kWh of batteries installed provide a major shift in electric trucks and their regional operability.

“The number of electric trucks already ordered in this segment exceeds our expectations. Close to 140 customers – from all over Europe, and even Mexico – have begun to transit their fleets to electric. Some have ordered more than 40 electric vehicles each,” Allard notes.

Italian transport company Gruber Logistics, a pioneer in digitalisation, has placed an order of nearly 30 electric trucks at once: ”Scania has thoroughly analysed our transport operations. They offer a complete solution, including charging, that perfectly suits our needs. These regional trucks are just the beginning and we are extremely excited to embrace this path with Scania for our transport’s electrification,” says Andrea Condotta, public affairs & innovation manager, Gruber Logistics.

Girteka Logistics, a leading asset-based transport company operating out of Vilnius, Lithuania, is also going the e-mobility route. Scania and Girteka have announced an extensive new sustainability partnership as part of their shared commitment to reducing transport sector emissions.

The ambitious agreement targets the delivery of up to 600 Scania battery-electric vehicles to Girteka over the next four years. At the same time, the companies will collaborate on establishing charging infrastructure and optimising charging solutions. The aim is to help reduce Girteka’s customers’ emissions at competitive costs. 

In addition to the agreement on electric vehicles, the scale-up of sustainable transportation will be realised by the deployment of vehicles boasting Scania’s new Super powertrain. This delivers 8% fuel savings compared to the previous generation, with which Scania won the Green Truck Award for the sixth consecutive year in 2022.

There will also be a focus on people sustainability: the companies have agreed to work together on driver safety and driver influence, with the intention of accelerating Girteka’s ongoing investment in its people. “We’re delighted to be working with Girteka, who share our goal of making the transport system more sustainable,” says Stefano Fedel, executive vice president, head of sales and marketing at Scania.

The introduction of regional battery-electric vehicles represents a major milestone for Scania and its partners, with an increase of range in every dimension. This offers new opportunities for a wide range of customers and the transport ecosystem as a whole. Production of the regional BEV trucks will begin in Q4 2023.