Yesterday, a meeting of all partners of the European research project ZEFES took place in Zeebrugge, which aims to validate the use of zero-emission trucks for long-distance transport. The ECS company is organizing one of the test drives for Procter & Gamble and yesterday received the keys to the Volvo FH Aero that it will use.
The ZEFES project (in which Scania, Renault Trucks and Volvo Trucks participate) will not only focus on electric trucks, but in an initial phase only electric trucks will be used by various carriers and logistics operators. Through its two brands, Volvo Group will test its new generation of electric trucks equipped with a drive axle. The first hydrogen trucks, including a Scania that will be put into use by the Italian transport company Gruber Logistics, will start driving a little later.
ECS participates in the ZEFES project with a Volvo FH Aero deployed between the Procter & Gamble factory in Amiens and its own logistics center in Zeebrugge. However, the original plans had to be revised, as Cedric Lanckriet (Business Development Manager at RCS) explains: “Initially we planned to operate an LHV and an electric dolly, with the Dourges logistics platform as the hub. Unfortunately, the French authorities did not grant a special permit for the LHV and the dolly, which is why this plan fell through. In addition, it was not possible to install a fast charger at the Amiens factory, so we had to use the Milence charging station in Lille, which extends the journey time by 45 minutes.”
The ZEFES project also allowed an MCS charger from ABB to be installed at ECS in Zeebrugge. The test will therefore also serve to validate high-power charging. “For us, this is an ideal case study, because it fits perfectly with our multimodal activities,” Cedric Lanckriet explains further. “Going forward, we need to look at what energy infrastructure we need to electrify our first and last mile activities. One of the options would be to install a wind turbine on our site.”
