Fleet operators and the vehicle industry are calling for practical framework conditions for zero emission transformation

"The road to zero emissions is a constant journey for us. We constantly investigate all commercial vehicle traffic operations to find potential and to further reduce the carbon footprint of transport systems", explained Iffet Türken, member of the board of Kässbohrer and host of the Expert Talk. According to Iffet Türken, these solutions include transport concepts such as the LHV, usable load or optimal volume semitrailers and trailer bodies, trailers for intermodal use and electrified semitrailers such as the Kässbohrer E-Reefer – a refrigerated trailer with electrically-driven transport cooling units and a trailer axle with a generator. These turn recovered braking energy into electricity, thus supplying energy for refrigeration. In another vehicle concept, Kässbohrer demonstrated the utilisation of recuperated braking energy to drive a traction axle in the trailer.

At the heart of the AxlePower system from THERMO KING, used on the E-Reefer, is the ePower generator axle from BPW. "We are prepared for electrification and are finding suitable solutions for all applications", said BPW Sales Manager Europe Daniel Twilling-Birkholz. In a future stage of development, electrified trailer axles can also be used as drive axles, to either reduce fuel consumption and thus reduce the CO2 emissions of a diesel-powered truck unit, or to increase the range of an electric truck. The benefits for the environment and fleet operators would be even greater, with a CO2 reduction of 16 to 40 percent. BPW is working together with ZF Group and commercial vehicle manufacturers such as Kässbohrer to implement these systems. "With TrailTrax (ZF’s Electrified Trailer System) we offer the complete package consisting of a traction e-axle and battery system box so that integration in this trailer is as simple as possible", explained Dr Bernd Meurer, responsible for the TrailTrax program at ZF.

"The greatest challenges are economic viability and legal hurdles", explained Daniel Twilling-Birkholz. For a return on investment, semitrailers with e-trailers must benefit from reduced toll fees and lower taxes, for example. Recognition from VECTO, the EU consumption calculation tool, is an essential requirement for economic viability, added BPW's Sales Manager Europe. These semitrailers could then avoid fines from commerical vehicle manufacturers from 2030, if they fail to meet the targeted CO2 reduction of ten percent.

There are still some unresolved issues in practice. The calculation method from VECTO even results in contradictions. Peter Bouten, Operations Manager for Fleetcontrol at logistics provider Ewals Cargo Care pointed this out. E-trailers have great potential. However, as they are heavier than standard designs because of the battery pack, they receive a penalty in VECTO, despite the fact they reduce CO2. Conversely, aerodynamic casings receive a bonus, but because of the additional components, they are not suitable for intermodal use in combined transport, for example. The European legislator must be more forward-looking and not simply reward low vehicle weight in the calculation tool. Marc Valette, Director of Innovation Management from the railway company CFL multimodal and Markus Prinz, Senior Manager for Standards & Training from the service provider TAPA EMEA also called for a more realistic and practical approach from the legislator.

"All participants of the Kässbohrer Expert Talk agree that close cooperation between all those involved in commercial vehicle traffic, including the legislator, is needed to protect the environment", summarised moderator Ben Kraaijenhagen. The participants spoke in favour of discussing practical solutions together with the responsible members of the EU commission and improving existing regulations. Peter Bouten added that the transport industry has enormous investments in electrification ahead of it, which require binding legislation. "We are developing a complete technology platform with a range of solutions for different applications, which means we are in a position to scale as soon as the e-trailer is eligible for approval", said Bernd Meurer. Daniel Twilling-Birkholz added: "Growing unit volumes will reduce the prices and operational costs and enable an earlier return on investment." This will also speed up the fleet transformation.