Vehicle manufacturers, the Swedish Government's Electrification Commission and several other initiatives are trying in various ways to accelerate the transition towards more sustainable solutions in the transport sector.
More electrified vehicles on our roads
The Swedish Government's Electrification Commission is tasked with accelerating the electrification of the transport sector. They are working to achieve the electrification of all types of transport, but there is a main focus on road transport in their latest report “Two years with the Electrification Commission - a summary”
In the report, the development of the number of electrified vehicles as a percentage is reported to be growing a lot, even if it is from low levels. One example is 50 electric trucks newly registered in 2021, an increase of 19 from the previous year. In Q1 2022, the increase has continued with 29 newly registered electric trucks.
What is Regional Electrified Logistics – REEL?
There is a national initiative in Sweden called “REEL” , which stands for Regional Electrified Logistics where leading players have joined forces to accelerate the transition to electrified emission-free heavy transport on our roads.
Within the initiative, around 60 different regional logistics flows are currently being established and evaluated in varying types of driving assignments. It brings together transport buyers, freight forwarders and distributors, hauliers, terminal operators, charging point operators, electricity network companies and suppliers of trucks, charging equipment, and management systems, so that they can develop together. In addition, regions, national authorities and universities are also involved in this initiative.
What length can a truck be in Sweden in 2023
2022 has been the year when many initiatives took the step to becoming functioning larger trials, no longer just a single test vehicle, and with regard to HCT in Sweden we will soon have new legislation in place.
The Swedish government has decided that from August 2023, combination vehicles with a length of 34.5m will be able to operate on certain parts of the Swedish road network. Finland has allowed a length of 34.5m since 2019 and has a growing fleet of vehicles and vehicle combinations in the 34.5m segment. Which vehicle combinations will be allowed in Sweden is not yet completely clear and it will probably not be the same arrangement as in Finland. The reason is mainly because Finland allows trucks that have the same load length as a semi-trailer. It is expected that Sweden will select vehicle types that are suitable for use on the Swedish road network and which can be used in combination with the European Modular System - EMS.
How can our professional drivers have a sustainable working environment?
Most technology areas that affect the transport industry are developing in a more sustainable direction in general. Reduced greenhouse gas emissions are a clear goal for a sustainable future environment, while the goals for how we humans can achieve a sustainable working life are more difficult to measure. In any case, it is an important topic and being able to have a safe working environment that ensures your safety throughout your everyday working life, should be a matter of course for everyone. We are just about to launch a system that will contribute to exactly that. VBG Driver Assist is a driver assistance system that gives the driver voice guidance when coupling. The system also sounds an alarm in the event of jackknifing so that the driver can rectify the situation before damage occurs to the vehicle. A calm driver and a complete coupling system will make our roads more sustainable and safe in the future.
2022 has been an exciting year from a transport point of view and we continue to look forward with excitement to 2023.
If you have any questions about smart transport solutions, our experts will be happy to help you.
