Sesé, Scania and ZEFES launch Spain’s first electric duotrailer trial
/ At start, the vehicle will operate a 90-kilometre route twice a day to assess operational efficiency and support the competitive integration of electrification in the sector.
/ In a second phase, the vehicle will operate on an intermodal route between Spain and Germany, using the MCS charger in Vilamalla, near the Spanish border
/ The consortium is working with a long-term vision to promote cross-border electric vehicle routes and regulatory changes to enable the widespread use of duotrailers across Europe
Sesé, together with Scania and as part of the ZEFES consortium, is launching Spain’s first trial of an electric duotrailer. The project, funded by the European Commission for innovation with electric vehicles, will start on February operating on one of Sesé’s regular routes, covering the 90 kilometres between Martorell and Maçanet.
The aim of the trial is to demonstrate the operational efficiency of the duotrailer, which can halve the number of journeys required to transport the same load, as well as its compatibility with sustainable energy sources. This combination has the potential to significantly reduce the environmental impact of road freight transport.
The project forms part of ZEFES’ broader ambition to identify solutions that enable the integration of electrification in the heavy road transport without compromising industrial competitiveness. To this end, during the pilot phase, the consortium will assess not only vehicle performance and emissions reductions, but also the suitability of existing charging infrastructure and the requirements for scaling up this type of operation in the future.
According to Héctor Cebrián, Head of Institutional Relations & Sustainability of Sesé, “the path to more sustainable road transport lies in developing solutions that do not compromise companies’ operational capacity. Combining efficient alternatives, such as the duotrailer, with a wide range of available energy sources gives companies multiple pathways to advance their decarbonisation goals without losing competitiveness. Achieving this requires both strong private-sector commitment, through initiatives like the one we are presenting today, and a legislative framework that promotes technological neutrality”.
At the same time, the consortium is exploring the extension of electric tractor units to cross-border operations, with the aim of encouraging wider adoption at European level. It is also actively promoting a review of the EU regulatory framework to facilitate the use of duotrailers across the continent and strengthen the competitiveness of the European supply chain.
For this reason, in a second phase, the operation will be extended to an intermodal route between Spain and Germany. It will regularly make use of the MCS freight terminal in Vilamalla, near the Spanish border.
For his part, Alex Neri, Head of Sustainability at Scania Ibérica, stated that “at Scania we are demonstrating that the electrification of heavy transport is not a vision of the future, but a reality already operating on demanding routes such as this one. Our goal is to support customers such as Sesé at every step of their decarbonization journey, integrating electric solutions that preserve the competitiveness of their operations”.
Ben Kraaijenhagen, technical coordinator from ZEFES, sees this double trailer trail “as an important step implementing zero emission heavy duty vehicles in logistics missions. It demonstrates the readiness of the ZE-HDVs challenging the logistics and energy providers to invest in an energy infrastructure accelerating the pathway towards zero emission transport”.
Objective: minimising the carbon footprint of road transport
Sesé’s previous experience with duotrailers has shown emissions reductions of up to 30% compared to conventional single-load vehicles. These reductions can reach up to 90% when combined with more sustainable energy sources, such as renewable fuels.
The introduction of a new energy vector, such as electric propulsion, creates further opportunities for companies to move towards a carbon-neutral transport model, enabling them to select the most appropriate solution for each operation while avoiding negative impacts on competitiveness.
