Top 5 drivers for BEVs in the forest industry
Heavy loads, challenging conditions, winding roads in hilly terrain, and distant areas – do battery electric trucks really make sense in the woods? Of course. Here are the top five drivers for BEVs in the forest industry.
SCA, one of Sweden’s largest pulp and paper companies, as well as Europe’s largest private forest holding, recently took its second battery-electric timber truck from Scania into service (see film).
Since 2022, SCA has tested an earlier version of Scania’s electric truck in transport operations between a terminal and a paper mill. Now, the forestry transport operations are being expanded with the latest generation of Scania’s electric truck
Investing in a 400-kW charging station
“The new 74-tonne Scania BEV will transport timber from pick-up sites in the forest to the terminal in Östavall, a distance of about 50 km,” says Anton Ahlinder, business developer at SCA Forest.
“Right now, we are using a public charging station slightly off the route but are building our own 400 kW charging station right at the terminal. This will be a big contribution to the truck’s overall efficiency,” he adds.
The five main reasons for electric timber transport
- Climate is integral to business. SCAs overall goal is to transition to fossil-free transport, and electrification is one way for the company to further enhance its total positive climate impact. “For us, being a positive contributor to the climate is ultimately about business,” says Anton Ahlinder. “Already today, SCA has a positive climate impact of 13 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents each year through the management of our forest holdings and the production of renewable products that can replace those with a large carbon footprint.”
- Knowledge and innovation. Being an early adopter of electrification allows SCA to gain a first-mover advantage, says Ahlinder: “We get the best opportunities to familiarise ourselves with the technology early on, as well as with the conditions and challenges. All of this can provide insights that, from a strictly economic perspective, may become valuable later on.”
- Collaboration. SCA sees great value in collaborating with various companies, such as Scania, as well as with academic institutions. “We understand the demands, needs, and conditions of the forestry industry, and Scania are the experts on the vehicles. By combining these strengths, we achieve synergies that will benefit both companies – and the entire forestry industry,” says Ahlinder.
- Competitiveness. Operating in a country that is pioneering electrification in heavy transport, as well as in the forestry industry, is beneficial for SCA from a commercial perspective, says Ahlinder: “Electrification helps minimise the final product’s climate footprint, which could provide competitive advantages in a global market.”
- Operating costs and self-sufficiency. With a future focused on the electrification of transport, SCA sees greater opportunities to influence the company’s operating costs related to fuel and energy. Already today, the company has substantial electricity production through its operations as well as from self-owned wind power. “Electrification allows us to control how much it costs to charge or refuel a vehicle. This makes us less dependent on oil prices and a market over which we have little influence,” says Ahlinder.
Scania’s new timber truck: 74 tonnes with 200 km range
- SCAs new electric timber truck from Scania is part of the forest industry’s innovation project TREE, which aims for half of the new trucks in the forest industry to be electric by 2030. SCA and Scania are two of several participants.
- The Scania truck is designed to handle forestry transports of up to 74 tonnes. It is a 3-axle model with an R-cab, equipped with a 450-kW electric motor, 624 kWh installed battery capacity, and a charging capacity of up to 375 kW.
- The range, even with heavy timber loads, is estimated to be around 200 kilometers, including loading using the trailer-mounted crane in the forest.
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