Scania 25 P electric 2022 Quick Spin

Scania was quick and quiet getting its ducks in a row for the release of its new electric truck, the Scania 25 P.

There is quite a bit involved in launching a new truck. You have to have the required number of parts on hand should there be a problem. There is training of technicians to be done and, of course, there is the dealer network to be appraised and educated on how to market and sell the trucks.

Scania has done all this in quick time, and now the new electric trucks can be ordered for delivery late next year.

The truck in question, the Scania 25 P, is a 4x2 rigid which will fit a 10-pallet body or equivalent. GVM is 16,000kg and the tare is around 8900kg. A 6x4 will also be available, we’re told.

Power comes from a mid-mounted electric motor which is fed by five battery packs – two outboard on each side, where you’d have fuel tanks on a diesel truck, and one under the cab.

Power is rated at 295kW (395hp) and 2200Nm of torque (peak) and 230kW (310hp) and 1300Nm (continuous), and the truck has a range of around 250 kilometres depending on usage.

Inside, the cab is just like a diesel Scania with the exception being the dash which is, obviously, recreated for the electric drive system. Everything is where you’d expect it to be with the cruise control, telephone and audio on the wheel along with the controls for the central information screen.

The park brake is electric as is the integrated hill-holder feature, and the regenerative braking is on the right-hand stalk where you’d normally find the retarder, so it all fits together.

Wipers and indicators are on the left-hand stalk as usual and the lights, windows and mirror controls are on the driver’s door.

Seats are air-suspended and electric operated for most functions except the slide, and the steering column is adjustable for tilt and reach.

I must admit I felt very privileged when Scania’s Director of Truck Sales, Ben Nye, threw me the keys to the Scania 25 P and let me take it for a drive out of Scania’s head office in Campbellfield, in Melbourne’s northern suburbs.

Admittedly, the Scania 25 P was only in naked cab/chassis form, but it was certainly enough to get a feel for the truck and what it was capable of. Ben said Scania is going to build the truck up with either a container skel body or as a 10-pallet curtainsider. And while we’ll hopefully get a more extensive drive once that has happened, for now we were very happy to accept Ben’s kind offer and have a first taste of this electric truck.

Climbing into the cab is via two very neat aluminium steps that provide plenty of grip, plenty of room for boots and will be easy to clean.

As stated, inside is very familiar for anyone who has driven a Scania. It’s all well laid out and easy to navigate.

Turn the key on and there are few buzzes and pops as the systems turn on, then a sign appears on the central screen saying the truck’s status is ‘ready to drive’. The screen will also tell the driver what percentage the batteries are at and the truck’s current range.

From there it’s a matter of sticking it in Drive, release the brake and off we go.

It’s totally silent in operation, as you’d expect, and it took me a while to get used to the pickup, which is instantaneous. The truck has a two-speed transmission and you can feel it change gears from the start gear to the cruise gear, but it’s barely perceptible.

It’s a weird feeling, driving an electric truck, and even though I have driven a few now it still takes time to get used to the power delivery and the silent running. But what’s really amazing is when the regenerative braking is applied.

The five-stage regen not only provides braking, but it also gives power back to the batteries when you haul back on the stalk and bring it into action.

The power of the braking is immense. No doubt due to us being totally unladen, it was even more apparent. I found that using the first two stages was quite adequate, and I reckon if I’d dragged it down to stage five, I would have stood the thing on its nose!

Cruising speed on the highway presented no problem and thankfully our truck was limited to 100km/h or I would have constantly been checking the speedo. It is difficult to get a feel for how fast you’re going in an electric vehicle because there is no engine noise and no revs by which you can gauge your speed.

It is a different kind of driving from that of a diesel truck and, as Ben said, companies may have to give drivers some different instruction on how to get the best out of them.

But I like it. It’s a very relaxing drive. The instant torque means you can keep with the traffic without stretching or working the truck, the quiet ride means that you arrive feeling fresher, and with the regen braking, it’s almost a one-foot operation.

We pulled off the highway into the suburbs to take some of the accompanying photos and here the Scania 25 P really shone.

Scania has its new electric steering fitted to the electric trucks and it’s terrific. It is a speed-sensitive system that gives ‘feel’ on the highway but gives maximum assistance at low speeds, and negotiating tight roundabouts was a dream in this truck. It’s highly manoeuvrable and really light in the steering so negotiating tight areas was no problem.

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And it’s silent, so around the suburbs it’s not going to bother the residents.

I could certainly see many applications where this sort of truck would excel. Think suburban delivery, furniture removals, light construction work… the list goes on.

While many people will poo-poo the idea of electric trucks and their application to our market, it is the future, and it is here. And once the price comes down a bit, you’ll see plenty of them running around our cities and towns.

Personally, I can’t wait for this truck to get a body on it and a load in it so we can go and find some hills to send it up.

Scania 25 P BEV specifications
Configuration: 4x2, 6x2
Axle Distance: 3950 – 5750mm
Cab Options: P
Propulsion: Permanent magnet electric motor with oil spray cooling.
Peak power/torque: 295kW (395hp) 2200Nm
Continuous power/torque: 230kW (310hp) 1300Nm
Power take-off: 60kW electric
Battery capacity: Five lithium-ion batteries, available for all axle distances over 3950mm: 165kWh (installed)
Charging: CCS type two plug-in connection up to 130kW / 200A DC charging
Tare: 8900kg
GVM: 16,000kg