Electric Volvo truck with Hiab crane

Working for Dura Vermeer, Vrijbloed Transport using the 100 per cent electric Volvo truck with Hiab loader crane in the Netherlands. Both the Hiab crane and the Volvo FE 6 x 2 Electric truck operate from batteries

Dutch company Vrijbloed Transport has taken delivery of what is tagged as the first 100 per cent electric heavy duty truck working in the civil engineering sector.

The Volvo FE Electric 6 x 2 was delivered as a two-sided tipper mounted with a Hiab loader crane. It was put to work for civils contractor Dura Vermeer on road construction projects in and around Amsterdam, Netherlands. Dura Vermeer aims to be working completely emissions-free in city centres by 2025.

Commenting on the new truck Sander Haagedoorn, road manager at Dura Vermeer Infra Region North West, said, “Most of the electric trucks currently on the road are converted versions. Volvo Trucks is the first manufacturer to produce electric trucks completely and directly from the factory. This is a lot more sustainable because diesel components do not have to be produced first and then removed.”

Less weight, more range

Keeping the weight down increases the available range of an electric vehicle. Helping in this case was the electrically powered and relatively light Hiab X-HiPro 122 crane.

The electric truck uses a pair of 400 kW electric motors, each developing 850 Nm of torque. Power is from lithium-ion battery packs with a total capacity of 264 kW-h. Regenerative braking is fitted so energy from that, especially in stop and go traffic, helps charge the batteries.

“The limited battery capacity and range are currently still important bottlenecks for many (construction) companies in the switch to electric trucks. To be able to work longer with the same battery capacity, we have developed a special vehicle with a lighter body in collaboration with Dura Vermeer, Volvo Trucks Nederland, Hiab and Vosse,” explained Mathijs Vrijbloed, sustainability co-ordinator, innovation and communication, at Vrijbloed Transport B.V.

“In addition, this lighter loader crane does not consume any energy when it is stationary, unlike a conventional type. An open connection between the software of the loader crane and the truck also ensures that the loader crane gives a signal when the battery is almost empty. This prevents downtime and further optimises consumption,” Vrijbloed continued.

In-cab display on the Volvo FE 6 x 2 Electric