DAF Trucks has delivered a fully electric truck to Tinie Manders Transport in Geldrop, the Netherlands, as part of ongoing trials for its CF Electric.
Featuring E-Power Technology from VDL, the CF will be used on behalf of DHL for shuttle services in the Eindhoven region.
The first CF Electric was put into operation last December by supermarket chain Jumbo.
Manders Transport, an 83-year-old family business based in the Brabant region of the Netherlands, is currently under the leadership of the third generation. The truck joins the company’s 50-strong fleet.
“It is clear the transport sector is on the cusp of a major transformation,” said Jos Habets, DAF operations director. “The electric truck is set to become the norm in more and more urban areas in future.
“I am extremely proud we are now in a position to broaden our experience with electric trucks in collaboration with Tinie Manders Transport. The data we collect about both the technology and the operational deployment will feed into the specifications for the final production models, thus ensuring they fit seamlessly with the requirements of the market.”
“We are very proud to be one of the first to drive this pioneering DAF,” added Eveline Manders. “We have been involved in its development from the outset and we are, of course, curious to see the results in practice.
“Our decision as to whether to expand the range of electric vehicles within our company will be based not only on the zero-emissions factor, but also on the ease of use and the additional possibilities this truck offers us. Zero emissions combined with the minimal noise levels of the truck mean we can also meet the increasingly stringent legal requirements for inner city transport, thereby enabling us to set ourselves apart from the competition.”
Tinie Manders Transport will combine the fully electric truck with a fully electric refrigerated trailer – a combination which makes the Geldrop-based firm eligible for the DKTI subsidy for sustainable transport.
DAF’s CF Electric is a 4×2 truck developed for road haulage of up to 37 tonnes in urban areas, for which single-axle or dual-axle trailers are the norm. The vehicle is based on the CF and is operated fully electrically using VDL E-Power Technology. At the core is a 210 kW electric motor powered by a lithium-ion battery pack with a current total capacity of 144 kWh.
The CF Electric has a range of approximately 100 km, depending on the weight of its cargo, making it suitable for high-volume transport in the urban distribution market. Its batteries have a
30-minute quick-charge feature and a full charge takes 1.5 hours.
