Electra Commercial Vehicles has won funding from the European Horizon 2022 framework to build a long-haul 40-tonne temperature-controlled drawbar battery electric vehicle as part of the Escalate Project.
Escalate is a pan-European 37-member consortium from 13 countries, coordinated by FEV Europe GMBH, an innovation leader in sustainable mobility, energy and software, The project aims to advance the development of heavy vehicles (40 tonnes and above) with electric drive, including battery electric, fuel cell, and fuel cell range-extended vehicles towards net zero future.
Officially started in January 2023, this € 19m 42-month initiative seeks to deliver five pilot vehicles to demonstrate technological improvements with range, efficiency, and design of components.
Electra’s role in this project is to build one of the pilot vehicles – a 40-tonne drawbar battery electric vehicle (BEV) capable of achieving 800km on a single charge, which Electra will demonstrate in the UK and Germany.
The truck will be based on an Electras’ eStar LEM27-350 chassis, with a drawbar trailer that will include energy-efficient electrically powered refrigerated systems, high-performance insulated box bodies with tail lifts, topped off with the latest technology in lightweight, low-profile solar panels to contribute to range maximisation.
