Electrical voyage of discovery has begun for Rabelink

First and foremost, the arrival of the two electric trucks (Volvo FM Electric of 490 KW) is a great next step towards a sustainable future. "It fits perfectly with our core values," explains managing director Alwin Schweckhorst. "Now we have to start getting a feel for it. Very important will be what is the capacity of the trucks in daily practice."

After all, the range that suppliers predict on paper is not always 100 per cent achieved on the road. "With diesel cars we have an exact picture of that, with electric driving it is a journey of discovery. The distance that can be covered by e-trucks is variable, whereas with diesel we are used to this being a fixed given," Alwin notes. "In addition, there is the question of what colder conditions do and you are not refuelling for a few minutes but have a charging time of a few hours. It's a completely different way of thinking and planning. That's a challenge, but a lot of fun. We are going to experience it. The pluses for the environment speak for themselves, the experiences in practice we are going to gain."

Economical driving pays off 

The first of provisionally two e-trucks was delivered to us in Wehl on 31 January, meanwhile the second has also arrived and both vehicles have completed their first kilometres. A first impression: driving style and load are even more important than before. "A lot depends on the driver, driving economically pays off," says Harald Smook, Transport Division Manager. "Furthermore, the number of kilos plays a big role. Four or 20 tonnes in the trailer makes quite a difference, you have to get and keep all that weight moving anyway." The comparison between the two e-trucks also shows that. "The first is mainly used for container transport between Doesburg and Zevenaar. It manages about 4.5 times, which is pretty good, given the heavy load. The second one we use for lighter community work and there you immediately see that it can cover a few more kilometres. Meanwhile, we are in the process of educating and training more drivers. The main thing for us as a company is to keep developing." 

Best papers 

The choice of Volvo was not difficult. "In terms of action radius and delivery time, they had the best credentials at the time of ordering," says Niels Kemperman, fleet manager responsible for our fleet. "Besides the safety of the cars, it was especially important in terms of appearance that the Rabelink house style would be preserved, with a green accent. We think this worked out very well." In practice, the e-trucks turn out to have the same properties as electric passenger cars: "The tractive power is enormous," says Niels, "which is quite similar to what Tesla drivers are used to, for example. When you step on the accelerator it's full power right away, and that takes some getting used to. We will therefore be monitoring consumption and driving behaviour in the near future, so that we can learn from this."