Silent night for Scania

With after-hours bans on the use of heavy vehicles due to noise now commonplace in many cities, Scania is keeping deliveries rolling on the streets of Stockholm through the use of near-silent hybrid trucks.

The Swedish manufacturer is presently conducting a pilot study to assess silent overnight deliveries for six McDonald's restaurants in the Swedish capital, with the trial focusing on hybrid models run by logistics and freight heavyweight, HAVI.

Heavy vehicles are normally banned from driving in Stockholm's CBD at night due to noise, forcing deliveries to often occur when businesses are preparing to open, during the morning peak hour.

To minimise traffic congestion and late delivery, the city of Stockholm is now broadening its pilot study of overnight deliveries.

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The deliveries using silent electric powered vehicles are a cooperation between the City of Stockholm, HAVI, KTH, EU, McDonald's and Scania. The initiative is taking place in the framework of the EU project: Eccentric Stockholm.

A chargeable hybrid truck from Scania that is run with a combination of electricity and fossil-free fuel (a type of biodiesel called HVO, or hydrotreated vegetable oil), which dramatically reduces the emissions of particles and carbon dioxide, is being used in the trial.

The plug-in hybrid truck is also connected and fitted with geofencing technology. This means that it adapts itself to the driving conditions in a predetermined area. These virtual traffic zones can determine which motor the vehicle will use and adapt its speed to actual speed limits, providing excellent possibilities to reduce emissions, noise and other distractions in city centres.

"HAVI is a global logistics provider to McDonald's worldwide, and in Sweden the two businesses have been working together since 1989," says Camilla Eklöf, Quality, Safety & Environmental Manager, HAVI.

"We are very proud to be part of leading efforts to tackle real issues facing people living in the city. These trucks drive quietly and are emission-free in these sensitive urban areas. At the same time, however, they are still capable of driving longer distances. Our global partnership with Scania and McDonald's is really making a difference to the environment as we work together to minimise emissions."

The hybrid truck can drive in silent electric mode for up to 10 kilometres and can efficiently deliver goods on practically empty streets at night. The consortium behind the project will study how much of an environmental benefit is gained by not having trucks in traffic queues and by always having good accessibility.

The battery is charged by external power sources and via regenerative braking. Thanks to an electrical charging station near one of the restaurants, the truck will be able to charge its battery whilst loading, unloading, and during driver breaks.

On the longer routes between the city and the warehouse that the truck leaves from, the vehicle can run its internal combustion engine on HVO, which can achieve up to a 90 percent reduction in emissions.

The truck changes over automatically to quiet and emission free electric power with the help of the software tool Scania Zone and virtual fences or geofences, upon arrival in environmentally sensitive urban areas.

"This project is an excellent opportunity to demonstrate and evaluate the possibilities that a connected hybrid truck can offer, with the technology available to us here and now, to enable us to reduce our dependency on fossil fuels," says Jesper Brauer, Product Manager for Urban Trucks, Scania.