5 electric truck driving tips that will save you energy
An electric truck is already much more energy efficient than its combustion engine equivalent, thanks to the greater efficiency of the electric powertrain. But the way that you drive the electric truck can actually save you even more energy. Here are five tips for how to use the BEV’s potential to the max.
1. Recover the kinetic energy
One of the fundamental differences between a truck with a combustion engine and a truck with an electric drive is that when you brake, you can regenerate part of the kinetic energy to the batteries in the electric truck. To do so, and to avoid using the wheel brake, adapt your driving style to stay within the regenerative braking zone in the power gauge on the Scania dashboard. If you use the lever you will never go outside this zone. This is a great help to a driver who is new to driving an electric truck.
2. Coast as much as possible
Just like when driving a truck with an internal combustion engine, it is usually preferable to coast if you can. If you are driving at high speed, you can use the kinetic energy to charge the batteries - as outlined in our first tip above - by braking lightly. It’s also better to brake lightly for a longer period of time than to brake hard and quickly. The exception is if an emergency situation arises where you have to brake hard, when of course you must prioritise safety above all else.
3. Go light on the accelerator
When you drive an electric truck, you’ll quickly discover that you only need to press very lightly on the accelerator to achieve a good acceleration. You will also notice that the electric truck keeps up perfectly in the flow of city traffic, even with a light pressure on the accelerator. Use the power gauge to support smooth driving, which is when a battery-electric vehicle (BEV) truck works in the most energy-efficient way, although it still has similar acceleration to that of a diesel truck. To avoid wasting energy, the trick is to avoid both full acceleration and full braking.
4. Plan your routes
If you plan your route so that you avoid steep hills and major detours as much as possible, you’ll save energy. But if you have a hill on your route, you can think of different ways to make maximum use of the kinetic energy. If you drive a refuse truck, you can drive empty to the top of the hill and then load the truck more and more at each stop on the way down the hill, instead of stopping at the first house at the bottom of the hill and working your way upwards.
5. Plan your driving
With your experience, foresight and driving skills, there are great opportunities to save energy, time and money. Use the meter on the power gauge to support your driving so that you can avoid braking too hard and use the wheel brake instead of the more energy-efficient electric, regenerative brake. Depending on which generation of Scania BEV you drive, you may or may not have a GPS-controlled cruise control. Nevertheless, as the driver, you have a very important role when it comes to planning the drive and driving in the most energy-efficient way on country roads and highways even if you use the cruise control.
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