By switching from diesel to electric trucks, GROB is aiming to reduce its carbon emissions and, in doing so, it has also taken on a pioneering role in "e-mobility for commercial vehicles" in the industry and the region as one of the first companies to embrace electric trucks. GROB launched this pilot project at the end of last year in collaboration with Lechzug Transport Spedition GmbH & Co. KG. The project is being supported by the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMDV), NOW GmbH, and the Federal Logistics and Mobility Office, which provides 80 percent of the funding to cover the additional costs of an electric truck compared to a standard diesel truck. This funding commitment made it possible to commercially validate the economic feasibility of the primarily environmental investment.
No range issues thanks to defined routes
The pilot project uses an electric Volvo FH 62 truck to travel to the external GROB warehouse in Ulm over 52 miles away twice a day, in the morning and afternoon. The truck with an electric mileage of 167 miles is able to reliably cover the 105-mile route, allowing it to be loaded in Mindelheim as a "warehouse transporter" during the lunch break. To bring this project to life, GROB has continued to invest in its charging infrastructure and purchased an Alpitronic Hypercharger with a maximum charging power of 300 kW at the Mindelheim location. This quick charger, like the ones you come across on the freeways, is what makes the trucks second trip in the afternoon possible.
Environmental and economic benefits
The carbon emissions saved with the electric truck amount to more than 123 tons per year over the defined Mindelheim – Ulm – Mindelheim route. As the truck can also be operated toll-free until the end of 2025, GROB saves a further € 0.36 per kilometer. And the electricity costs themselves are very reasonable, as the vehicle is charged on the company premises in Mindelheim with GROB-generated power. "Our actual additional costs are the investment in the charging infrastructure, that is to say the additional hypercharger in the Logistics department", explains GROB Logistics Manager Dominik Habigt. "An investment in the future. We are pushing ahead with the investment in charging infrastructure and are doing our bit to support the drive revolution in the transport sector." "The goal of the 'GROB E-Truck' pilot project is to electrify our fleet in order to reduce carbon emissions in our company while also demonstrating that trucks with electric drives and battery storage systems are already commercially viable", adds GROB-CEO German Wankmiller.
