German company Bona gets country’s first Scania battery-electric truck

Bona will use the truck as a city shuttle, making multiple trips a day to transport finished products from its production plant in the south of the city to its distribution centre in the north, a journey of six kilometres. Approximately 21 euro pallets can be accommodated in the loading area on each tour, making the truck the ideal emission-free transport system for Bona’s operations in the western German city of Limburg, near Frankfurt-am-Main, and the surrounding area.

“Bona is committed to incorporating and pursuing sustainable products, systems, and practices throughout the company, and the new Scania electric truck is an important milestone in our journey to a greener future,” says Dr. Thomas Brokamp, Managing Director, Bona Germany.

“Moving to an emission-free vehicle is an important part of our broader sustainability journey and part of our commitment to be a good citizen. Due to high traffic the city of Limburg has a problem with excessively high nitrogen dioxide levels. The main source are diesel vehicles, and it is now extremely likely a ban for these vehicles is coming 1st of April 2022 for Limburg. With our emission-free truck we can make a valuable contribution in Limburg to lower nitrogen dioxide levels and to global decarbonisation.”

The Scania 25 P stores its energy in five lithium-ion batteries, each with a capacity of 33 kWh. Under optimal conditions, the drive batteries are designed for a range of up to 110 kilometres, which is more than enough for Bona’s use in the city of Limburg as that will average approximately 50 kilometres per day.

“The electric powertrain shines, especially at low engine speeds and in starting situations, with significantly better acceleration and more traction than a diesel truck. Drivers can look forward to rapid acceleration and short response times from the drive,” says Christian Hottgenroth, Director of Truck Sales, Scania Germany & Austria.

By early 2022 the way the vehicle charges its batteries will be green too. Bona is now developing a charging station that will be fuelled by green electricity generated by a powerful photovoltaic system on the roof of the large hall of its Limburg facility. The fully electric truck is charged with direct current and is equipped with a charging capacity of 130 kW, which allows the batteries to be fully charged in about an hour at 20 percent capacity. A stop of half an hour at the charging station is enough to charge energy for another 50 or 60 kilometres.