If forestry can electrify transports, why not other industries?
10 MARCH 2026
The trial in northern Sweden of a Scania electric truck for timber transport is vital for both the forestry sector and wider industry, as haulier Jonas Eklund and Sveaskog’s Anna Ahlin explain.
Deep in the forests of northern Sweden, something exciting is stirring: a 70-tonne Scania electric timber truck.
As part of an ongoing national initiative to scale up electric freight transport – The TREE project – family-run timber haulier Eklunds Åkeri is testing the battery-electric vehicle in partnership with its long-time customer Sveaskog, one of the project’s sponsors.
The hope is that the truck, the most northerly of Scania’s electric timber transporters in Sweden, will show the way towards the full electrification of the forestry industry, which accounts for 20 percent of Sweden’s heavy road transport and significant CO2 emissions.
“We have to reduce the climate footprint of transport. This truck is part of finding that answer,” explains the haulage company’s CEO Jonas Eklund.
“Where are we going if not in this direction? We have to reduce emissions from transport.”
– Jonas Eklund, CEO at Eklunds Åkeri
Why forestry is ideal test case for electrification
The haulier’s 18 trucks typically cover hundreds of kilometres of rough roads taking round timber from the inland forests of southern Norrbotten and northern Västerbotten to the sawmills of Sveaskog’s customers on the Swedish coast.
Anna Ahlin, Technical Specialist in Logistics and project lead for Sveaskog’s electric timber trucks, says that because forestry represents one of the toughest possible environments for electrification it is an ideal test case for the technology’s overall viability.
“If the forest sector can electrify – with heavy loads, long distances, rural geography and harsh winters – then I don’t see why any other industry shouldn’t be able to,” she explains.
“We wanted to test it in really tough conditions: poor infrastructure, long distances and a cold climate. That’s the reality for us,” adds Eklund.
In northern Sweden, timber is often loaded inland at higher elevations and transported downhill to coastal industries, allowing battery-electric trucks to recover energy during the descent.
Before the truck began operating in November, the main worries were winter performance, heating, range and charging downtime. However, despite one of the coldest winters of recent years, with temperatures of minus 25°C to minus 30°C, the truck has measured up.
“It has surprised us. It works much better in the cold than we thought,” says Eklund.
Range has also exceeded initial assumptions. “We thought we wouldn’t be able to drive as far as we do. It has performed better than expected,” he says.
Logistical challenges – but also positive feedback
The greatest operational challenge has not been the truck itself, but logistics.
Unlike predictable urban distribution routes, forestry logistics are dynamic, meaning it’s impractical to have permanent charging infrastructure deep in the forest.
“The trucks don’t drive the same route every day,” Ahlin explains. “We may not return to the same forest for 40 years after we cut from it. That makes electrification in our sector fundamentally different.”
But it’s charging speed, rather than charging availability, that is the main challenge. The vehicle needs to be charged for two to two-and-a-half hours per day during a 10-hour shift, and careful route planning is essential to ensure that the truck returns with minimal remaining charge to maximise efficiency.
“It’s a lot of logistics work. You have to plan the day so you come home with as little power left as possible,” says Eklund. “For us, fast chargers are more important than more chargers.” However, he expects this to improve over the three-year test period.
The truck is primarily operated by one dedicated driver and feedback has been positive, especially regarding driver comfort. “It’s very quiet. It’s a very nice truck to drive,” Eklund says.
Anna Ahlin highlights one other advantage even in the early testing: the truck’s regenerative braking capability. In northern Sweden, timber is often loaded at higher elevations inland and transported downhill towards coastal industries.
“When you load at higher altitude and drive downhill fully loaded, the truck recovers energy on the descent,” she says. “The difference between going up empty and down full was smaller than we had expected.”
Long distances, heavy loads and harsh winters make forestry one of the toughest environments for electrification – and an ideal test case for electric trucks.
An investment for the future
It’s still early in what is an important ‘stress test’ of electric timber transport, but both Anna Ahlin and Jonas Eklund are enthused about the possibilities.
“It has to be commercially viable. Price matters. Infrastructure matters,” says Ahlin. “But what we are proving now is that it is technically possible.”
“This is the starting shot,” adds Eklund. “In the future we’ll charge much faster, there will be a second-hand market, and the economics will improve.
“Where are we going if not in this direction? We have to reduce emissions from transport.”
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