Scania realizes the first electric standard car transporter

The automotive logistics company ARS Altmann knows what drives the vehicle industry—in the truest sense of the word. Because the service company, headquartered in Wolnzach, Bavaria, is one of the largest privately-owned companies in the industry. Every day, 650 specialized trucks transport cars of all kinds. This is supplemented by rail transport. Annually, the specialized logistics company transports a total of 2.5 million vehicles from point A to point B.

ARS Altmann is aware that the transportation industry is increasingly being associated with sustainability goals and has established the Code of Conduct within the company. Environmental protection and sustainability are clearly among the values like fairness, equal treatment, and health and safety at work, for which this specialized logistics company stands.

“Within the framework of ARS Altmann's eco-strategy, there is one major goal, namely CO2 neutrality by 2030. As such, it is only a logical consequence to avoid as much CO2 emissions as possible in almost all of our activities, especially in truck transport,” says Wolfgang Ketterle, COO and board member of ARS Altmann AG.

ARS Altmann AG’s sustainability concept is composed of three focal points: road, rail, and depots, functioning like an ecosystem. Long-distance transports over 300 kilometers are carried out in the "ARS-Ecosystem" on the company’s own rail wagons.

A large photovoltaic project, which includes covering the company grounds with carports, rounds off the concept, as this generates sufficient electricity to operate several e-truck fleets. A mobile storage concept, which is also powered by these systems, allows flexible use of e-trucks at various locations, even when public infrastructure is not sufficiently developed.

New in the Fleet

Since the beginning of the year, a special vehicle has been supporting the fleet in the implementation of these sustainability goals: the world’s first fully electric standard car transporter Scania P 25 with a Kässbohrer structure and trailer. The motor vehicle structure model Metago, type M4, was designed by Kässbohrer for practical everyday use and has been adapted to the requirements of an e-truck.

“The Metago M4 superstructure model chosen for priority distribution traffic is characterized by particularly simple, safe, and quick loading and unloading of passenger cars. Thanks to the lower body weight of this model, an effective payload of well over 8 tons could also be implemented on the motor vehicle,” explain Ing. Horst Fössl and Dr. Markus Guggenbichler, the project managers at Kässbohrer, detailing the specifics.

Through a very compact battery arrangement on one hand and the integration of the electric auxiliary drive within the chassis frame on the other, the particularly important low frame height for car transporters could be realized. Innovations in the electrical system of the Kässbohrer electro-hydraulic trailer model Intago type tt allow optimized operation through the electric auxiliary drive (E-PTO) and consequently minimal energy consumption of the hydraulic system. The structure and trailer achieve a total payload of over 19,700 kilograms.

"With this truck, up to eight cars can be transported without exceeding permissible length or height limits. With a total weight of up to 42 tons, the Electric Scania is fully charged in less than 90 minutes at a maximum of 130 kWh (CCS 2)," explains Thiemo Freyer, Product Manager for Electromobility at Scania, highlighting the advantages.

The additional weight of the electric drive system does not affect its usage. The elimination of the combustion engine completely compensates for it. The factory-installed fully integrated lift axle has its own brake circuit, which positively impacts tire wear. Another special feature is the axle load of the lift axle, which can be read at any time on the display for the driver.

These and additional vehicle advantages are also recognized by Alberto Picco, Chief Sales Officer at ARS Altmann: "With a sensible mix of combustion engines and electric drives, we underscore our self-understanding as a modern and innovative company and our willingness to take on social responsibility. Modern and forward-looking technology also makes it attractive to be part of the ARS Altmann family. Furthermore, with such an approach, we can support the ambitious goals of car manufacturers in reducing CO2 emissions."

The 230 kWh or 2,200 Nm strong Scania P 25 BEV is used by ARS Altmann in distribution transport. With a maximum payload of nearly 10 tons (without trailer) and an axle load of 18.5 tons, the fully electric auto transporter is on par with standard diesel vehicles. Alberto Picco specifies the intended use profile of the newly electrified addition to the fleet:

"The future area of use will be short and medium distance transports within a radius of about 100 to up to 150 kilometers. Within our portfolio, there are concrete opportunities where we aim to adopt shift models to make the most productive use of this valuable asset."

In this context, cars will be transported from production to storage, for example.