Consistently sustainable

Decarbonization: The commercial vehicle industry is currently facing numerous challenges. As a driving force for innovative and sustainable transport solutions, Scania is rising to the challenge.

The transport sector has reached a pivotal moment: Today’s fleet owners need to ramp up their efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, while also increasing their profitability. Scania aims to press ahead with the transition towards a sustainable transport system and offer the best overall efficiency for sustainable transport solutions in the mobility ecosystem. Scania has been consistently and actively monitoring the issue of sustainability for a long time. It wants to become a pioneer here and provide intelligent, safer and sustainable transport systems, including in heavy haulage. “The fact is, right now, more than 95 % of all heavy-duty vehicles are still at the mercy of conventionally powered truck engines. It is our responsibility to improve our current offering until the transition to a decarbonised transport system is complete,” says Harald Woitke, Managing Director of Scania Deutschland GmbH. He adds: “Even in this decade, the combustion engine still has a lot to offer. And it will continue to be available as a drive source for at least another ten years to come.”

The transformation poses a major challenge and a high economic risk for haulage firms and logistics experts. As such, Scania acts as a partner and offers its customers support in all key aspects of e-mobility, offering advice on vehicles and batteries, charging infrastructure, servicing and maintenance, the life cycle and performance optimisation. Woitke states: “We want to be producing zero-emissions trucks and buses by 2050. And we are aiming to reduce the carbon footprint of our vehicles by 20 percent and of our production by 50 percent by as early as 2025.”

In 2021 Scania was the first company in the industry to compare the entire life cycle assessment (LCA) as part of their analysis of a battery electric truck versus a truck with a combustion engine. The results clearly revealed that the e-truck has a lower carbon footprint throughout its entire life cycle. “Electrifying the commercial vehicle may not be the gold standard among propulsion systems, but it offers more potential to cut down on carbon emissions,” says Woitke, adding that there is currently no universal solution for all commercial electric vehicles. Hydrogen-powered trucks with fuel cells is therefore one of the technological approaches that Scania is researching with its partners.

Digitalisation plays an important role in the transport sector, and Scania has been focusing on this aspect for years. It offers the industry the opportunity to optimise day-to-day operations and help with important issues such as cost reductions, damage mitigation and efficient transportation.

Harald Woitke explains: “More than 600,000 networked Scania vehicles are now on the road in more than 100 markets. They supply companies and us with key data to make workflows and processes even more efficient and transparent, not to mention safer. Scania is continuously working on new and innovative digital solutions to offer business owners customised and bespoke mobility solutions.”

Hall 12, Stand C04