Fig.: Duvenbeck
A field trial recently evaluated by Trailer Dynamics and Duvenbeck provides an indication of the energy consumption of a semi-trailer, but also of the potential savings offered by electric solutions. With the eTrailer, the tractor unit consumed 45% less diesel.
In a field test, logistics provider Duvenbeck reports that the diesel truck saved more than 45 percent on fuel over a distance of 325 kilometers. This was achieved with a very special solution: the eTrailer, the product of several years of development by Trailer Dynamics, is equipped with an electrically driven center axle and was used in combination with the diesel tractor unit. The field test was conducted in cooperation with Volkswagen Group Logistics on a route for the Volkswagen plant in Wolfsburg, transporting 11.9 tons of vehicle parts from Duvenbeck's Herne location to Lower Saxony.
According to Bernd Reining, fleet manager at Duvenbeck, the installation of the additional electric drivetrain in the eTrailer can therefore achieve significant reductions in diesel and CO2 consumption and, in combination with the battery-electric tractor unit (BEV), significant increases in range.
The additional electric drivetrain assists the diesel tractor unit along the entire route, both when starting and when climbing inclines. It also recovers energy through recuperation.
