Tuesday 5th March 2024: Long standing Carbon Charter member and supreme environmental advocates BACTON TRANSPORT were kind enough to invite us to join them when Volvo Trucks brought their latest electric versions to show at their depot near Stowmarket recently.
This was a chance to allow their drivers to experience how much nicer to drive this new technology is compared to how sluggish and exhausting diesel trucks can be. Even with modern cab design to isolate the driver from the low level vibrations and noise, the added harshness of an old fashioned internal combustion engine cannot be hidden in contrast with the smooth take up and quietness that goes with electric drives.
There are other advantages as well. The added torque of electric power means less slowing down when attempting a slight incline which is usually where you end up stuck behind a diesel lorry trying to overtake another diesel lorry and causing a tailback as they both struggle uphill together. Lower running costs, reduced pollution and improved customer satisfaction are other potential benefits as well.
The drivers we spoke to said they could see the advantages to electrification. As the telematics of all of the trucks currently on their fleet can be used to gauge the suitability of upgrading, it would seem to suggest that over half of the routes could be electrified almost immediately. The plans will likely involve shorter pallet round routes to start with then longer range HGV’s coming in as the charging infrastructure improves.
So having recently flown in electric aircraft despite years of listening to so-called experts saying that would never happen, we now can confidently ignore those same ‘experts’ telling us that battery electric HGV’s are impractical when in fact they’re here now!
Well done to Bacton Transport. and look out for them on a road near you…
We would like to extend our thanks to all at Bacton Transport, especially Edward, Charles and Dan, as well as the Volvo Trucks team who did such a brilliant job of demonstrating this huge potential.
