For the first time, Norway has utilized a semi-electric truck with a 1,000 kWh battery capacity to clear heavy snow on challenging mountain passes.
The Norwegian Public Roads Administration has been conducting trials of the electric truck as a snow plow on the E6 highway, right over the scenic yet challenging Dovrefjell mountain range. Recently, it cleared a hefty snow dump, and as a result, they’re feeling optimistic about using EVs to keep the winter roads in check.
Bjørn Laksforsmo, divisional director at the Norwegian Public Roads Administration said, “If we are to achieve the climate targets, we must have strong emission cuts also on the heaviest tasks we do on the roads today. That’s why we wanted to test plowing with an electric truck on the E6 over Dovrefjell.”
After a week of trials, the electric truck’s performance is impressive. Despite facing light to heavy snow, gusty winds, and below-freezing temperatures, the truck’s battery only dropped from 90% to 28% after almost nine hours on the road, using 182 KWh per 100 km.
The pilot test is not only about the truck’s running capacity; it’s also assessing its ability to handle harsh weather, energy consumption under different conditions, and the best ways to charge it.
The semi being tested at Dovrefjell is the world’s first electric truck with a 1000 kWh battery. Swiss firm Designwerk Technologies AG built the electric truck using a Volvo FH chassis. It has a range of 97 km (60 miles) with a 50-ton load and weighs 21.6 t.
The trial run on the E6 Dovrefjell is part of Norway’s broader initiative to investigate how electric plows can handle winter conditions. This is the second such initiative, following the first trial in 2021 when an electric wheel loader was used to plow pedestrian and cycle paths in Trondheim, albeit without a battery capacity that was up to the task.
The Swedish Road Administration is also involved in testing zero-emission plowing in certain areas. In Sandefjord, electric plow trucks are already a regular sight, and their performance has been satisfactory.
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