New Range Record Set In An Electric Truck

Electric heavy good vehicles have set a new world record, as an electric truck travels over 1000km without requiring a recharge.

The truck, owned by DPD Switzerland, powered by a Futuricum electric motor and using Continental tyres, travelled 683 miles in 23 hours and highlights that a long enough range to make electric haulage equipment viable is indeed possible.

The record has been verified by the Guinness World Records and was achieved on Continental’s dedicated in-house test track, the Contidrom near Hanover, Lower Saxony, Germany.

The run began at 6:37 am and ended a day later at 5:33 am, driving at an average speed of 31mph.

The vehicle, a modified Volvo FH was 15.5 metric tons at the time the record was attempting, featuring a rigid trailer at the back, and used Continental’s EfficientPro tyres designed to provide low rolling resistance, allowing for more efficient use of power.

This, along with using a vehicle that had already been on the road for six months, emphasised that the record was achieved not in a bespoke custom lorry designed for hypermiling but a standard vehicle that has already been used in Switzerland travelling 300km every day.

Along with this, the temperature was 14 degrees Celcius, which due to being relatively low may have affected the charge, and the run was beset by strong winds, which reached heights of 40 kph during the attempt.

DPD Switzerland’s Strategy and Innovation Director, Marc Frank, credited the success of the project on investing in EVs at an early stage and claims the result has sent a signal for a future for haulage dominated by sustainable drive systems.