In the race of electrification of transportation and construction machinery Volvo Penta has collaborated with the port equipment experts at MOL to develop forward-looking, 4×4 electric RoRo trucks at the Port of Ghent.
RoRo Trucks? You are also thinking what RoRo means, it is an acronym for “Roll-on, Roll-off” terminal trucks. Popular as torquay vehicles, they are primarily used at shipping terminals, logistics centers, or rail yards Terminal tractors are the powerful Class 8 tractors, purposely-built to handle the extreme payload in all weather conditions. It features high g-forces associated with hitching up to a heavy trailer up to100 times in a single shift.
On the recent development Conrad Verplancke, a sales engineer from MOL state, “The technical progress achieved through our collaboration with Volvo Penta in creating the full electric 4×4 RME225 terminal tractor demonstrates our efforts to expand our range of new emission-free vehicles specifically for the rigorous needs of heavy-duty port equipment. He also added, “We are ensuring that it performs reliably, efficiently, and effectively in real-life operational scenarios.”
The truck features a fully electric Volvo Penta driveline that consists of three battery packs that offers a combined 270-kWh of installed energy. There is also an EPT802 gearbox, and two, 200 kW drive motors (one on each axle). Also a 50 kW motor separately provides power to the truck’s hydraulic systems and fifth wheel.
For making it charging efficient Volvo Penta’s close ties with Volvo Trucks, CE and Volvo Cars play a crucial role, as the RoRo trucks have the access to the charging technology of these automotive companies. It means the new MOL- developed tractors shave access to both Level 2 charger and DCFC through the CSS standard.
These EV charger provide a great mobility not only to the terminal tractors, but the ability to charge other Volvo equipment and electric vehicles with the provided EV charging stations is a great move. It makes the port a part of standardization charging infrastructure and fleet integration for fleet managers who are working to future-proof their site’s infrastructure..
The full electric tractor matches its diesel counterparts in performance, with potentially higher acceleration rates and available torque on the RME225. Success hinges on delivering superior performance and optimizing total cost of ownership,” explains Jeroen Overvelde, area sales manager at Volvo Penta. He also added, “the value of electrification extends beyond the initial technology investment.”
