H.Essers expands electric fleet with 20 new e-trucks
H.Essers is further expanding its electric fleet with the deployment of twenty new electric trucks. The expansion includes ten vehicles from MAN and ten from Mercedes-Benz Trucks, which are now operational and will primarily be deployed from the company’s Belgian sites. This brings the total number of electric trucks in the H.Essers fleet to 31 vehicles. Charging infrastructure and energy supply are also being expanded across several sites.
The investment forms part of H.Essers’ broader sustainability strategy. The logistics service provider aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from its own transport fleet by 42% by 2030, through a combination of operational efficiency, synchromodal transport, renewable energy and alternative fuels, including the electrification of transport activities. One of the concrete ambitions within this journey is to electrify fifteen per cent of the fleet by 2030. The purchase of twenty new e-trucks marks an important next step towards that goal.
From pilot project to strategic investment for the future
The decision to purchase twenty new electric trucks builds on the experience H.Essers gained over the past year through a pilot project in which six electric trucks from three different manufacturers were deployed in daily operations. This practical experience provided H.Essers with greater insight into both the opportunities and challenges of electric transport in day-to-day operations.
The Mercedes e-trucks offer a range of between 525 and 575 kilometres, while the MAN e-trucks have a range of between 400 and 450 kilometres. Thanks to fast-charging capabilities, vehicles from both brands can be recharged in approximately 90 minutes under optimal conditions.
Although electric trucks currently have a higher purchase price than conventional vehicles, H.Essers sees their strategic importance and sufficient potential to continue investing in them. In a market where support measures vary significantly from country to country, the company deliberately takes a long-term approach and believes electrification will be a key building block of more sustainable transport.
“Making logistics more sustainable requires a combination of solutions. Electric trucks play an important role in this and are becoming a viable option for an increasing number of applications. We believe electrification is an essential part of the logistics of the future. This expansion enables us to deploy electric trucks on a larger scale in a real operational environment. In doing so, we are not only building knowledge and experience but also laying the foundations for the further roll-out of electric transport across our European network,” says Christopher Van den Daele, COO Transport at H.Essers.
This investment marks the beginning of the next growth phase. While the electric fleet is currently deployed mainly from Belgium and the Netherlands, the company is actively exploring how this technology can be scaled up further across other countries and activities. Insights gained from current operations will play an important role in that process.
Electrification does not stop at the truck
For H.Essers, electrification goes beyond the vehicles themselves. Alongside the continued expansion of the electric fleet, the company is also investing further in the associated charging infrastructure. In Genk and Bergen op Zoom, installed charging capacity is being expanded to 2.7 MW.
Beyond transport activities, H.Essers is also continuing to invest in electrification for office and warehouse heating and cooling systems, warehouse handling equipment and passenger cars.
“To manage the growing energy demand across different sites in a smart way, we have also introduced Synchro Grid, a company-wide energy ecosystem that aligns energy production, consumption and storage. Our ambition is to gradually develop our sites into flexible energy hubs and support the further electrification of our operations, while responding to customers’ growing demand for more sustainable transport solutions. In this way, we are working together to build a more sustainable logistics chain,” concludes Van den Daele.
Focus on people and technology
The transition to electric mobility requires investment not only in infrastructure and vehicles, but also in people. Electrification introduces new challenges, particularly within day-to-day operations. That is why H.Essers is investing in project management, intensive guidance, training and close collaboration between all involved departments and partners.
Through the H.Essers Academy, the company’s in-house training centre, drivers, planners and other employees have received the necessary training to work safely and efficiently with the new electric vehicles and processes.
“I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I drove an electric truck for the first time, but I was immediately positively surprised. The truck is exceptionally quiet and very comfortable to drive. You notice the difference especially on longer journeys. Once you’ve driven electric, you don’t really want to go back to a diesel truck,” says Inez Selis, truck driver at H.Essers.
This evolution also brings additional challenges for planners. In addition to planning transport flows, they must now take charging infrastructure, charging schedules and energy consumption into account. As a result, energy planning is becoming an increasingly important part of daily operations.
At the same time, H.Essers is seeing growing demand from customers for more sustainable transport solutions. Through the expansion of its electric fleet, the continued development of the H.Essers Synchro Grid and ongoing investments in synchromodality, the company is working together with customers to build the logistics chain of tomorrow.