Antalis has been a Dawsongroup truck and trailer customer since 2019, and operates eight tractor units, 13 trailers and three rigids supplied by us at a number of locations across the UK.
As a leading international distributor in its sector, the business plays an important role in improving its industry’s sustainability and is in the process of developing responsible end-to-end supply chain management.
For Mark Hadley, CDC Operations & UK Transport Manager, the question was: What does the Antalis fleet of the future look like? With an interest in alternatives to diesel, Mark was very keen to start testing new technologies.
In the face of ever-tightening environmental regulations and the end of fossil fuels on the horizon, he recognised that the company needed to start thinking about transitioning its fleet to alternative fuels now. The aim is for Antalis to be well-prepared when the time comes and in order to provide the same reliable service for its customers but with less impact on the environment.
We partnered with Antalis to take up the challenge. After a consultative discussion and a number of electrification meetings, our Contract Hire Manager, Chris Beckett, and David Price, DAF Electric Sales Specialist at HTC, arranged for an electric 19-tonne curtainside DAF LF demonstration truck to be loaned to Antalis for a week’s trial in November 2022.
Designed and built at the DAF factory in Leyland, Lancashire, the truck is one of three LF demonstrators, each fitted with curtainside, box or refrigerated bodies. Another twenty are part of the UK Government’s nationwide Battery Electric Truck Trial (BETT). Its purpose is to help UK Plc make informed decisions on switching from diesel to electric, by providing real-life data on vehicle use in a variety of operations. Details of the emission and financial savings resulting from the BETT are available on the dedicated Cenex website.
Understandably, as with any new technology, there is a degree of uncertainty as to whether it can meet the customers’ operational needs.
The Antalis trial was designed to allay those fears. Dipping its toe into the future, the company saw it as a great opportunity to:
- Be at the cutting edge of, and test, alternative fuel technology
- Evaluate the capabilities of an electric truck against its current fleet
- Learn how electrification might work on its routes
- Assess driver reaction and understand what training will be needed
- Understand the road to zero emissions’ timeline and how technology, infrastructure and capability might develop in the future
- Investigate the long-term potential of introducing electric trucks across its fleet, and understand what needs to be done to facilitate the transition
Prior to the truck going in, Antalis’s operational expectations were discussed and the correct power connection for charging the batteries was confirmed.
On handover, the Antalis team were given some familiarisation training. Apart from two dials indicating the power status and battery charge, the interior of the truck is virtually identical to that of a diesel DAF. As result, the driver quickly felt at home and, after a short instructional drive out on the road, he was ready to go.
The truck was charged overnight via the 22kW on-board AC charger. Power was provided by one 3-phase, AC 400V, 32Amp, 5-pin socket in the loading bays at the customer’s warehouse and connected via a charging cable supplied with the truck.
Using the on-board charger, the truck can be charged overnight, which suits the majority of customers’ operations. For multi-shift operations with faster DC chargers, it is possible to fully charge the LF in two hours, as the truck can handle DC charge rates of up to 150kW.
The truck covered 320 miles over the trial week and driver, Andy Smith, commented: “Although I initially felt the need to keep an eye on the charge gauge in case I ran out of ‘juice’ I soon got used to it and it wasn’t as bad as I’d thought; I was still able to concentrate on doing my job safely, as usual.
“The manufacturer claims a range of up to 150 miles from a full charge. We were able to cover around 60 miles, half laden on half a full charge. Range and energy use were largely determined by load, terrain and the use of the vehicle’s lights, windscreen wipers, etc.
“We weren’t able to use the truck on our longer routes, so our route planners had to be careful when assigning routes. We also deliberately used the truck on our small drop routes. This meant we didn’t need to use the tail-lift, which would have used more energy.
“Charging was very simple and required minimal training, and there was very little difference in the actual driving experience compared to a diesel. The lack of noise took a while to get used to, but the truck was surprisingly quick off the mark from a standing start, which made dealing with roundabouts a lot easier. The kinetic braking – braking without using your brakes – was also very useful.
“We had to be careful with load distribution as too much weight near the bulkhead caused the truck to weigh down at the front.
“However, on the whole, there were more positives than negatives and I was more impressed than I thought I was going to be.”
Mark Hadley commented: “The demo electric truck was used on some of our shorter, small drop routes, and it provided us with a great opportunity to test the manufacturer’s claims.
“The trial allowed us to start to understand the feasibility of electric trucks in real-life environments, and whether they’ll actually work in our day-to-day operations.
“What we learnt is that transitioning away from diesel will be a gradual journey over a number of years for Antalis, and we couldn’t move our whole fleet from where we are today to electric in one giant leap. For example, we’d need to change our site set-up to enable us to charge higher tonnage trucks and we’d need a new sub-station to cope with the charging load.
“Based on our current fleet replacement programme over the next few years, we will have the opportunity to look seriously at alternative fuelled vehicles. In the meantime, we’ve started the journey and we have a better understanding of what the future holds. We’d definitely be interested in taking part in more trials.”
David Price commented: “The Antalis trial proved that charging wasn’t a problem for this particular customer, and it provided a positive driving experience with no load loss.
“Looking at emissions, we were able to use the BETT web-based fleet planning tool to calculate the emissions saved if Antalis were to operate one electric truck. The figures are impressive. Assuming a daily use of 160km, over an operational period of seven years, they could save 256 tonnes of CO2, 123 kgs of Nitrous Oxides and 0.1kg of particulate matter. Just imagine what the savings could be across a whole fleet!”
Conclusions
Noise
The quietness of the truck was immediately noticeable and lends itself to a more relaxed and stress-free driving style, especially when focussing on regeneration, using the auxiliary brake to retain charge in the batteries.
Payload
With the additional 1,000kg GVW dispensation granted to two-axle battery electric trucks, the loss of payload on this particular vehicle is only 700kg compared with a diesel equivalent. This meant that Antalis were able to put the electric truck to good use and accommodate their normal payloads on shorter, small drop routes, taking care to distribute the load evenly within the truck.
Looking into the future, it should be possible to move the position of the battery pack, and there might be different battery pack size options to suit each operator’s individual requirements.
Charging
The ease of charging and the availability of correct sockets demonstrated how simple it is for many customers to make that initial switch to their first electric truck, before rolling out a wider fleet replacement programme. As with many other customer demonstrations, the charging experience for Antalis was painless.
Range
Although range anxiety was initially a problem for Antalis’s drivers, they became more relaxed as they become more familiar with the truck and how to optimise their driving.
In time, anxiety will be reduced with the development of a better infrastructure with more publicly-accessible charging stations. Route simulation and planning software can also help customers overcome range anxiety and will be a vital tool in the roll-out of electrification.
Whilst the DAF LF can achieve up to 150 miles on one charge, depending on the terrain and payload, fast charging facilities and multi-shift operations mean it’s possible to cover over 300 miles in a 24-hour period.
Emissions
By using electric trucks, operators will be able to reduce their operational CO2 footprint, as well as the amount of local pollution in the towns and cities in which they operate - through the elimination of nitrous oxides and particulate matter from the tailpipe.
Chris Beckett concluded: “Battery power is still under development and the big changes in alternative technologies facing the road transport sector will come with the potential for big risks, big capital outlay and big mistakes.
"There's a lot left for diesel to offer, and it's going to be a factor for a good while yet. Yes, 2035 isn't that far away now in terms of fleet renewal cycles. Electric vehicles and their operating costs are largely unknown, so, here at Dawsongroup, we’re investing in the future and providing our customers with easy, risk-free access to emerging technologies. Our ‘try before you buy’ service allows them to trial vehicles in their own environments, avoid financial risk and costly mistakes, and keep pace with changing legislation and compliance.
“It’s very much part of our role to help operators transition their fleets to zero emissions; keeping their businesses up-to-date with leading-edge technologies and alternative fuels, and running cleaner and more cost-effective fleets.
“Anyone interested in arranging an electric truck trial should either call us on 0800 032 9766 or contact their local branch to arrange a booking.”