FEV analysis: TCO cut by up to 33% through range extender trucks

FEV has published new analysis results on the economic efficiency of electrified commercial vehicles as part of an internal research program. 

The evaluation of extensive techno-economic data shows: depending on the driving cycle, through trucks with range extender architecture (REEV/Hybrid BEV) the total cost of ownership (TCO) can be reduced by up to 33% compared to conventional diesel trucks – while also significantly reducing CO₂ emissions. Even in the most unfavorable long-haul scenario, the TCO declined by approximately 14%.

Calculations are based on realistic European usage profiles with overnight charging at industrial electricity prices of around 19 cents per kilowatt hour. In regions with lower electricity costs, the advantage is correspondingly higher.

Cost-effectiveness without megawatt charging infrastructure

A key lever of the REEV architecture is the reduced battery size compared to purely battery-electric long-haul trucks. While typical BEV trucks require battery capacities of around 560 kWh, a REEV truck can manage with around 280 kWh. 

Even with slower AC charging at 22 kW, around 240 kWh can be recharged overnight – enough to power the vehicle almost entirely electrically for the next day. Thus, a megawatt charging infrastructure is not necessary for economical operation.

Significant TCO advantage in the cost-critical commercial vehicle market

The economic advantage of the range extender architecture results from several factors. The smaller battery of a REEV truck reduces vehicle costs and weight while increasing payload. Also, the high proportion of electric driving enables low energy costs, especially when charging at depots at night at industrial electricity prices.

Due to their low dependence on public high-performance charging infrastructure, REEV trucks can be seamlessly integrated into existing depot structures.

www.fev.com

Bentley further expands Crewe headquarters with new Engineering Technical Centre

Bentley celebrates the opening of new state-of-the-art Engineering Technical Centre in Crewe.

New R&D facilities vital to the brand’s preparations for future model development – bringing the virtual world together with real world product integration

Transforming an 85-year-old site for a new age of electrification – promising to introduce a new hybrid or electric model every year up until becoming exclusively electric in 2035

The new global brand partnership will be launched to fans, customers and media at a private event on 27 September

Bentley Motors today celebrates the official opening of its new world-class development Engineering Technical Centre, located at the luxury marque’s carbon neutral headquarters in Crewe. These new facilities - officially opened by Chairman and CEO, Dr. Frank-Steffen Walliser and Board Member for R&D, Dr. Matthias Rabe - will be pivotal to the brand’s preparations for future model development.

The Engineering Technical Centre forms part of an expansive investment programme in future facilities and products at the Pyms Lane factory in Crewe, where all Bentley models are handcrafted. The new centre brings together virtual and physical properties enabling collaborative working throughout.

It is located across two floors, covering a total of 13,000 sqm. The centre will include a prototype workshop for models of the future, materials development and a software integration department. Key to the facility’s harmonious integration is a structured, comprehensive application of skills in training, testing and launch preparation for all software and electrical, digital high-voltage systems.

The majority of these departments have been relocated from their previous home in the A1 building, which is the oldest building at the Pyms Lane site, and which is being transformed to BEV assembly in time for production to commence in 2027.

Commenting on the developments. Dr. Matthias Rabe, Bentley’s Member of the Board for R&D, told That's  Business: “Our Beyond100+ strategy maps out a fundamental programme of change, using what is known now and adapting that vision as we adopt yet-to-be discovered technologies in the future. We are working on the next generation of electrified driving, digitally connected cars, with driving autonomy that will achieve the highest levels of luxury mobility.

“This new Engineering Technical Centre is a key building block for the successful delivery of this strategy and helps enable engineering concepts to become reality at the heart of development and integration, as we look to continue to create the most luxurious and performance-oriented vehicles on the market.”

Bentley’s industry-leading Beyond100+ strategy will see the company reinvent its entire product range to support an electrified future. The opening of the Engineering Technical Centre will support these ambitions along with further expansions on site. These include the recently opened Design Studio and the continued construction on the new Paint Shop and Integrated Logistics Centre, due to open next year.

Volta files for bankruptcy, ParcelHero asks, ‘Has the spark gone out of the electric truck market?’

This year has seen electric truck manufacturers struggle, with Volta going bankrupt and Arrival laying off 800 UK workers. 

Home delivery experts ParcelHero says "Volta’s fate really shouldn’t be a shock. Electric truck makers Lordstown, ELMS and Smith have all ceased manufacturing or have filed for bankruptcy protection."

Volta Trucks, makers of the world’s first purpose-built 16-tonne electric truck, has filed for bankruptcy in Sweden and is set to put its UK operations into administration. ParcelHero points out that Volta has joined a growing list of specialist electric vehicle manufacturers who've pulled the plug on their vans and trucks.

ParcelHero’s Head of Consumer Research, David Jinks M.I.L.T., says: "The switchover to electric vehicles for the final mile is happening, there's no mistake, here. But, as the growing roll call of failed commercial electric vehicle manufacturers shows only too well, few specialist start-ups can get the funding to match their ambitions."

"Volta had a good product and a healthy list of potential customers engaging with its testing programme, including Marks & Spencer, DB Shenker and DSV. Volta’s engineering and development was largely carried out at sites in the UK. However, this summer’s collapse of its battery supplier Proterra (itself a maker of electric commercial vehicles) severely disrupted its supply chain.

"As early as 2016, alarms should have been sounding in the highly charged world of electric van manufacturing. That’s when Smith Electric Vehicles, a respected UK pioneer in electric commercial vehicles since the 1920s, finally closed its UK and European operations. Its US counterpart suspended production in 2017.

"This year, Banbury-based electric van pioneer Arrival announced it was laying off 800 of its UK workforce as it switched its focus to the American market. It’s an anticlimax from the excitement of 2022 when it produced its first production verification vehicle from its Bicester Microfactory. It’s thought the company will focus on plans for its new XL van in the US, where the market enjoys greater government subsidy, and is currently concentrating on refinancing."

He went on to say: "Like Volta, other specialist electric van and truck manufacturers have also suspended or ceased production. These include US-based Electric Last Mile Solutions (ELMS), which re-worked Wuling Chinese vehicles for the US market, and Lordstown, a high-profile pick-up truck manufacturer based in a former GM plant in Ohio. It was once praised for preserving jobs by former President Donald Trump.

"On the surface it would seem the UK and global demand for commercial EVs, particularly for urban deliveries, isn't as great as anticipated. However, that isn’t the case. UK battery electric van registrations grew 18.9% in August and a total of 11,414 zero-emission electric vans have been registered so far this year in the UK – up 16.4% on the same period in 2022.

"Most retailers and couriers are playing it safe, however, and buying electric versions of existing commercial vehicles, rather than new specialist vehicles from startups. In fact, the UK is now a centre of electric van production for many long-established brands. 

"A £100m investment has been made in EV production at a former GM plant at Ellesmere Port. Last month, production started there on Vauxhall Combo Electric, Opel Combo Electric, Peugeot e-Partner, Citroën ë-Berlingo and Fiat E-Doblò vans. These are all part of the new Stellantis conglomerate’s range.

"It's possibly unwise to write off specialist electric commercial vehicle production in the UK just yet, however. The Essex-based electric vehicle company Tevva delivered its first 7.5-tonne battery-electric truck to Kinaxia Logistics in September 2022. In January this year, it won EC approval for its new truck. Future customers could include Travis Perkins, Expect Distribution and Royal Mail. Tevva has also had its share of financial issues, and a merger with ElectraMeccanica has just fallen through, but vehicle deliveries continue and the trucks are getting good user feedback."

To learn more about the impact of technology on retail and deliveries, see ParcelHero’s study at: https://www.parcelhero.com/research/shop-of-the-future