A Volvo FH Electric semi just made a 3,000 km trip across Europe

A Volvo FH Electric 40-ton semi-trailer truck made a 3,000 km (1,864-mile) trip between Zurich, Switzerland, and Valencia, Spain – the longest distance traveled by a commercial electric truck so far.

Swiss logistics company Krummen Kerzers made the round-trip run. The driver, Balint Schnell, picked up 20 tons of oranges for grocery store Casa del Mas in Küsnacht, on Lake Zurich, from the store’s own citrus orchard in Canals, near Valencia. It was Schnell’s first time driving an electric semi, so he had to familiarize himself with the e-truck, study the route in detail, and plan ahead.

The trip took a week, whereas it would have taken four days in a diesel semi. Schnell had to adhere to required EU driving and rest times, so he stopped around 20 times, and he had to plan carefully so that charging time coincided with breaks.

Volvo’s website says that its FH Electric 4×2 semi tractor trailer has a range of up to 300 km (186 miles).

Volvo Switzerland posted this photo of Schnell on its Facebook page:

The route isn’t yet designed for charging electric semis, so Schnell had to charge at regular EV stations. “As soon as a station was used by other vehicles, the loading speed decreased enormously,” Schnell said.

Peter Krummen, co-managing director of Krummen Kerzers, said [translation]:

Record or not, the decisive factor for us is the fact that important knowledge about the use of e-trucks in long-distance traffic was gained with this trip and almost 3 tons of CO2 were saved.

Krummen Kerzers plans on investing in electric truck charging infrastructure at its office in Kerzers, Switzerland, as well as at three other locations in the country. The company also wants to increase its fleet of electric trucks to 18 units by the end of 2023.

Read more: Tesla Semi completes first 500-mile trip with a full load

Photo: Krummen Kerzers

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