A new assembly plant in Eindhoven will build XD and XF electric trucks, DAF Trucks has revealed.
The facility will be opening this spring, ready to start assembly of the vehicles that offer a 500km driving range.
Therefore, DAF expects to be see the assembly plant producing ‘several thousand’ vehicles every year.
In other words, the production numbers will be increasing as the popularity or need for the trucks increases.
The basis for each new generation electric DAF truck is a so-called glider.
Essentially, a chassis without a driveline but with a cab.
This glider is manufactured on DAF’s main truck production line.
Then, 4×2 and 6×2 tractors and rigids are completed to XD Electric and XF Electric trucks in an eight-step process.
There will be two lines running down the assembly plant.
First, one will be responsible for battery pack assembly.
Secondly, all of the high voltage components, including batteries and driveline, will be mounted on the chassis on the main assembly line.
Thorough checks are then carried out at the final stations to ensure vehicles are finished to the highest quality standards.
Meanwhile, DAF says the the XD Electric and XF Electric are tailor-made to match the wishes of each customer.
Therefore, the electric PACCAR drivelines are modular and the battery packs can be mounted in different positions on the chassis.
This flexibility is essential for bodybuilders who will be tasked with numerous configurations.
DAF’s XD Electric and XF Electric were launched at the IAA fair in Hanover in September 2022.
The fully electric PACCAR drivelines deliver outputs of between 210 to 480hp.
In addition to the driving range, charging can be completed (from 0% to 80% in just over 45 minutes.
Furthermore, the DAF XD series was recently crowned ‘International Truck of the Year 2023’.
