In June, in the Swiss capital of Bern, ABB presented an all-new, all-electric prototype truck, built in partnership with E-Force One using ABB's components (an electric motor, inverter, traction auxiliary and battery systems).

ABB's goal is to gradually replace its entire diesel delivery fleet in Switzerland with BEVs by the end of 2022. The company also hopes to sell components to vehicle manufacturers.

The truck's range with its 310 kWh battery is around 300 km (186 miles), which is enough to cover fixed routes of up to 235 km (146 miles).

"The first two trucks will be garaged at ABB’s power electronics factory in Turgi, northern Switzerland. After a test phase of several months ABB’s current fleet of eleven diesel vehicles will be superseded over the next three years by a single-operator fleet of E-trucks. The change will save an estimated 400 tonnes of CO2 emissions every year, for no extra operating cost." "ABB will be the first company in Switzerland to trial fully electric truck deliveries and they will benefit during the testing period from the established fixed routes between ABB facilities. The longest scheduled distance for delivery within Switzerland is 235km – well within the 300km range of the EF26 three-axle vehicles selected for the trial. A range of up to 500km would be possible with the largest available battery fitted."

If needed, a larger battery option will enable an increase in range to 500 km (310 miles).

Morten Wierod, President of ABB’s Motion business, said the E-truck is a prime example of ABB’s commitment to technology innovation:

“The new powertrain for trucks is a significant piece of e-mobility technology for heavy vehicles. It shows our advancement in developing technologies that are more energy efficient with a lower-carbon output. We will also be using the E-truck in our own daily business operations.”

Marcel Schütz, ABB Head of Transport & Trade Switzerland, added:

“The E-trucks will cover approximately the same distance every day, so they can be designed explicitly to fit ABB’s needs. This is the perfect logistics solution for our needs.”

ABB E-truck specs:

25-tonne, three-axle with hauling capability of a 12-tonne load with a standard trailer

range of up to 300 km (186 miles)

310 kWh battery

system output of 360 kW and 2,700 Nm of torque

top speed is limited to 85 km/h (53 mph)

overnight charging takes six hours using 50 kW DC charger

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