Scania looks to Portugal for battery-electric truck rollout

The first of several Scania battery-electric vehicles will be deployed before the end of June and will move products from the IKEA Industry factory in Paços de Ferreira to the Porto Harbour in Leixões and on to IKEA stores.

Scania said the collaboration is the result of discussions between the flatpack manufacturer and the truck maker that began last year and is seen as a bold step given the challenges of introducing the electrification of heavy transport in a country also struggling with underdeveloped infrastructure.

It said similar electric transitions for the transport of IKEA products were also taking place in southern France and Poland.

IKEA Industry will implement a pick-and-drop solution, where the vehicle’s trailer is left at the depot and replaced with another loaded one, to maximise the vehicle’s uptime and to avoid empty trucks. Charging solutions will be provided at the harbour by the Portuguese Port Authority of Leixões (APDL) and at IKEA’s factory.

Evalena Falck, Scania’s head of strategic account management, said: “Although the technology for sustainable transport is ready, the deployment and scaling of it often requires that the relevant actors come together.

“This collaboration shows how it can be done in practice and I hope it inspires others to follow suit.”