Ipswich Haulier Goes Green, Replacing Diesel Truck With Volvo FE Electric
Warehousing and distribution company Debach has added the first electric truck to its 40-vehicle fleet, a new Volvo FE Electric 4x2 rigid. Located near the Port of Felixstowe, Suffolk, the firm is using the truck to complete roughly 20 pallet deliveries daily in and around Ipswich. Managing director Bee Kemball says Volvo was the only manufacturer Debach considered once it decided to go electric.
“I had been invited to a recent demonstration day, where I personally got behind the wheel of the full Volvo electric range and was really impressed with the technology,” he says. “We were looking to replace one of our diesel rigids, and this FE Electric filled the bill perfectly, offering us an ideal environmentally friendly solution for this type of urban work.”
Environmental Cred On Display
Debach upfitted its FE Electric with curtainsider bodywork and a Dhollandia tail lift. The truck boasts the firm’s black-and-white livery with additional green detailing to showcase its environmentally friendly credentials. Debach specified the truck (which has two electric motors) with three batteries that can recharge in 2.3 hours via a 150-kilowatt DC charger.
‘An Ideal Choice’
Debach’s FE Electric utilises a 2-gear transmission and has a driving range of about 230 kilometres (143 miles), which it says is plenty for the truck to complete its daily tasks.
“We have had a fast charger installed at our depot, and the trucks we use on these runs tend to return to base at lunchtime anyway, so if we ever needed to top up the battery we can do,” says Kemball. “It really is an ideal choice for this type of work.”
Volvo FE Electric Details
The FE Electric has a gross combination weight (GCW) rating of up to 27 tonnes (30 U.S. tons) and is also available in a 6x2 rigid configuration. Buyers can choose from day, short sleeper, sleeper, and low-entry cab options and can equip up to four batteries for a driving range of up to 275 km (171 miles).
Debach’s FE Electric has a lower passenger door window to boost driver visibility in busy urban traffic as well as safety-enhancing systems such as forward collision warning with emergency braking, side collision avoidance support, driver alert support, and lane-keeping support.
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Source: Volvo