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Ignacio Galán in a electric Iberdrola car

Iberdrola, a world leading renewable energy company, has further enhanced its sustainable ambitions by becoming the first Spanish company to sign up to The Climate Group´s EV100 initiative.

EV100 is a global initiative bringing together forward-looking companies committed to accelerating the transition to electric vehicles (EVs) and making electric transport the new normal by 2030.

Under the agreement, sealed within the framework of the Climate Week NYC, Iberdrola will fully electrify its vehicle fleet and provide charging for staff across its operations in Spain and UK- where local EV market conditions make this possible- by 2030.

Iberdrola will also aspire towards this objective in Brazil, Mexico and the USA, but this will be reliant on national characteristics and further developments in the wider EV markets in each of these countries. As part of the partnership, Iberdrola will work with The Climate Group to engage key stakeholders in these countries to help overcome barriers.

A fleet of more than fleet of more than 3,500 vehicles across Spain and UK

This initiative will see Iberdrola have a fleet of more than 3,500 vehicles completely electrified in these two countries by 2030.

Light passenger cars and vans are included, as well as off-road vehicles used for windfarms and power line maintenance tasks like SUVs, pickup trucks and man basket cranes.

Iberdrola has already committed to installing up to 16.000 charging points at homes and 9.000 at workplaces in Spain by 2021. Beyond that, the company´s Smart mobility program for customers is increasing in popularity, which includes both the provision of a charging point and a special tariff to charge vehicles with green electricity.

In the UK, ScottishPower was the first energy company to offer and end-to-end EV ownership package for customers. Working with major car retailer Arnold Clark, buyers can purchase or lease an EV of their choice, book a home charging point installation and sign up to a smart 100% renewable electricity tariff as part of the same package.

In the US, Iberdrola´s subsidiary Avangrid just recently announced the expansion of its partnership with Nissan North America, seeking to provide 3.2 M customers and employees across New York, New England and Oregon with a 5,000 $ discount on the purchase of a Nissan LEAF EV. In addition, the company is also delivering a 34 M$ investment in the expansion of EV charging infrastructure across Maine and New York.

Source: Iberdrola

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Norway leads the way in the transition to a 100% electric mobility model. The volume of energy that transportation needs constitutes a fourth of the country’s total consumption, which is the reason why they find their electrification absolutely feasible. In addition, its mobility goals are aligned with the rest of the sustainable goals: to reduce 40% of the emissions by the year 2030 and become neutral in carbon emissions by 2050.

There are many characteristics that make Norway ideal for transport electrification. Among them, the political consensus for implementing measures that incentivise the use of electric vehicles, their knowledge of the electric transportation sector, their experience in R&D, their search for sustainable solutions and the country’s natural resources that enable them to have an almost 100% electric system.

Current situation

Norway is the country with the highest number of electric vehicles per capita in the world. Only in 2017, 21% of the new vehicles were electric and adding the hybrid models, 52% of the cars sold in the country last year were electric or hybrid. Thus and for the first time, the Scandinavian country had a participation in the fossil fuel market below 50%.

One of the keys to their success has been the support plan to the citizens, which exempts new electric cars from almost all taxes, giving benefits such as free or subsidized parking, a system of recharge points and use of highways, ferries and tunnels.

Land, sea and air, the ambitious proposal of the Norwegian electrification

By land: the country’s target is that all new cars, city buses and light vans should be zero-emissions by 2025.
If we look at the railway transport, we will find that it is already electrified by 78%.

By sea: 40% of all ships in the local transport should use biofuels or be low or zero-emission by 2030.
The Ampère Ferry initiated the technological change in the sea. Since then, four additional electric ferries have come into operation and another 62 are on its way. Furthermore, by the year 2021 they expect a third of the Norwegian vessels to be electric.

By air: being aware that airplanes use big quantities of fossil fuel and generate high levels of emissions, they are planning that all national air traffic becomes electric by 2040.

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51-year-old Roberto San José Mendiluce, born in and resident of the city of Valladolid in Castilla-León, is Spain’s first 100% electric taxi driver – an honour he has held for the past six and a half years. With 12 years experience under his belt, his life changed completely in October 2011 when he unknowingly purchased the country’s first 100% electric taxi. Since then, his 100% electric Nissan LEAF has travelled over 323,000 km. In this article, Roberto shares his experience of the past six and a half years, which have been very encouraging in every sense, as we will see below.

To take the decision to buy a 100% electric taxi, I basically compared the fuel costs generated by my previous taxi, a Volkswagen Touran 2.0 TDI 140 CV DSG (with an estimated consumption of 8.5 l/100), knowing that in four and half years it would have travelled 320,000 km and have consumed some 27,200 litres of fuel. Taking an approximate fuel cost of 1.2 €/litre, the total cost of fuel would amount to €32,640. The purchase price of the Nissan LEAF was €30,650 (including a €6,000 discount resulting from a subsidy). Taking the consumption of the old taxi at 8.5 l/100 and the cost of fuel at €1.20, the investment in the purchase of an e-taxi would be paid back after 300,000 km (cost of diesel €30,600).

Of course, to the gross fuel saving must be added the savings made in maintenance costs and breakdowns. These are essentially brake pads (for example, I have still got the original set that are 50% worn), filters, fan belts, injectors, distributor, etc. Read more…

Roberto San José Mendiluce
Spain’s first 100% electric taxi driver, since October 2011

Article published in: FuturENERGY April 2018

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Acciona Energia has received the first ever prototype certificate for a grid-scale energy storage solution by DNV GL, the world’s largest resource of independent energy experts and certification body. The handover of the certificate took place at the American Wind Energy Association’s 2018 Windpower Conference in Chicago.

To explore the possibilities of grid-scale storage, Acciona Energia started up a hybrid plant for storing electricity in batteries as part of its grid-connected wind farm at Barasoain in Navarra, northern Spain.

The plant in Barásoain is equipped with a storage system that consists of two batteries located in separate containers: one fast-response battery of 1 MW/0.39 MWh (capable of maintaining 1 MW of power for 20 minutes) and another slower-response battery with greater autonomy (0.7 MW/0.7 MWh, maintaining 0.7 MW for 1 hour). Both have Samsung SDI Li-ion technology connected to a 3-MW AW116/3000 wind turbine of Acciona Windpower (Nordex Group) technology, from which they capture the energy to be stored. The wind turbine is one of five that make up the Experimental Wind Farm at Barásoain, operated by the company since 2013. The entire system is managed by control software developed in-house by Acciona Energia and is monitored in real time by the company’s Renewable Energies Control Center (CECOER).

The storage plant introduced by Acciona has now become the first in the world to undergo system-level certification. The certification process was carried out in line with the GRIDSTOR Recommended Practice, which is based on industry standards and considers safety, performance and reliability for grid-connected energy storage systems.

Key element

Energy storage is a key element in the transition to a more sustainable energy mix. It allows renewable sources such as wind and solar power to operate at full capacity during peak generation periods by storing excess energy until it is needed to meet later demand. While many energy storage technologies are well established at smaller scales, their application at grid-scale is still in its early days.
“The market for grid-scale energy storage systems is relatively unexplored, but we see rapid developments. Certifying new systems like Acciona’s grid-scale storage plant demonstrates that pioneering projects like this are meeting the required safety, performance and reliability standards and providing the industry with confidence in the quality of emerging new technologies,” said Kim Mørk, Executive Vice President, Renewables Certification at DNV GL.

Mørk added that “as part of our commitment to helping the industry transition to a low-carbon energy mix while maintaining safety and reliability of supply, we focus our efforts to develop industry guidelines on grid-scale energy storage to help designers, manufacturers, investors, insurers and authorities mitigate risks and control costs in energy storage projects”.

For his part, Rafael Esteban, CEO Acciona Energy USA Global LLC, said that “our company is at the forefront of the energy transition through our solutions to facilitate the integration of variable-generation renewables into the grid and manage the power produced. Adding the energy storage plant to our Barasoain Experimental Wind Farm will improve the quality of energy sent to the grid, allow us to explore other applications for balancing supply and demand and create a path for commercial storage solutions in our wind power projects.”

“With any emerging technology, technology qualification and certification is essential in understanding and managing risk”, added Esteban.“In the near future, the bodies involved in the approval and financing of storage systems worldwide will demand these certificates. Acciona also wants to be a pioneer in this area. By applying for certification from such a solvent entity as DNV GL, we can guarantee that our plant fulfils all the conditions to operate with full confidence.”

Source: Acciona

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Cars equipped with electric engines or other alternative drives are making major inroads. Scientists at the Centre for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research Baden-Württemberg (ZSW) set out to develop a suitable filling station for these vehicles. Launched in mid-February 2018, this project goes to create a fuel ‘pump’ for the future. This dispenser is to deliver renewable electrical power, hydrogen and methane in the most efficient, cost-effective and purpose-driven way possible. The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy is funding this project with around €1.3 million. It will run for five years as part QUARREE 100, an initiative to test an urban quarter’s fully renewable power supply.

Vehicular mobility is sure to change markedly in the years ahead. Far more cars running on electricity sourced from wind and the sun will soon be out on the road. The same goes for fuel cell vehicles powered with renewable hydrogen and natural gas vehicles that run on methane, another climate-friendly fuel produced using solar power. The network of charging points and hydrogen filling stations is expanding on a massive scale. Some stations furnish both electricity and hydrogen, but none dispenses electrical power, hydrogen and methane. ZSW aims to change that with this project.

Tiered use of renewable energy

What the Stuttgart-based scientists have in mind is to develop a multi-energy dispenser. The idea is to use the grid to charge electric cars’ batteries with renewable electricity sourced from wind power plants and the like. A large stationary battery will store unused power when supply is greater than demand, and dispense it when demand is greater than supply. “If the battery is full and recharging electric cars cannot deplete it, this green electricity will be converted into hydrogen in a second step,” says ZSW’s Dr. Ulrich Zuberbühler by way of explanation. Fuel cell vehicles run on this type of energy. And if hydrogen production exceeds demand, the surplus gas goes into a storage tank.

Tomorrow’s filling station will include third stage to produce methane when the hydrogen storage tank is full and demand from fuel cell cars is low. Carbon dioxide will then be added to the hydrogen to convert into methane. Both gases react to a catalyst to form methane. This fuel is the main component of natural gas, so natural gas cars can readily use it. If refueling cars do not deplete the methane supply, the surplus gas is stored and then piped into the natural gas grid when the storage tank fills up.

“With our project, the coupling of the electrical grid with mobility will not be limited to electric cars,” explains Zuberbühler. “The other alternative drives will also benefit from it.”

ZSW’s researchers are talking about tiered use of renewable energy. Their priority is to make the most of resources by minimizing energy losses. Stage one is the first choice and remains so until its potential is exhausted. The most efficient use of regenerative electricity is to power electric motors. None of the energy is lost in translation, and battery storage loss amounts to no more than ten percent. Stages two and three—conversion to hydrogen and then methanation—are only an option once demand for electrical power has been met. Electrical power can be converted to hydrogen at around 75 percent efficiency; the figure for methane is roughly 60 percent. These gases are long-term, zero-loss stores of energy. Efficiency increases by a few percentage points when the waste heat generated during the conversion process is put to use.

zsw-2

Efforts to enhance components

With this project, ZSW aims to improve the efficiency, service life and cost-effectiveness of the two main components, a high-pressure alkaline electrolyzer and a plate methanation reactor. Scientists want to advance the state of the art for both on a 100-kilowatt scale. Electrolysis and methane synthesis will have to take place separately, which requires some form of hydrogen buffer or intermediate storage facility. The institute will develop a concept for this and assess its safety.

The researchers have three years to develop the technology, work out a safety concept and clarify all the details for approval. The results will be tested at an on-site demo facility starting in 2020.

Stepping up ‘sector coupling’

Green electricity accounts for around a third of the power in Germany’ grid, and its share is growing. This figure expected to rise to 65 percent by 2030. Off-grid use—for example, in electric cars and as an alternative fuel—would help make the transportation sector more climate-friendly. Little progress has been made on this front. The alternative fuels hydrogen and methane also have great advantages. They can serve as chemical media for long-term, loss-free energy storage. On top of that, they can be fed into Germany’s natural gas grid and used to heat buildings without leaving a carbon footprint. The term coined to describe this convergence of electricity, fuel and heating across industries is sector coupling.

The funding for this project is part of a joint initiative of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research and the Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs to promote solar in building projects and energy-efficient urban development.

The Zentrum für Sonnenenergie- und Wasserstoff-Forschung Baden-Württemberg (Centre for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research Baden-Württemberg, ZSW) is one of the leading institutes for applied research in the areas of photovoltaics, renewable fuels, battery technology, fuel cells and energy system analysis. There are currently around 235 scientists, engineers and technicians employed at ZSW’s three locations in Stuttgart, Ulm and Widderstall. In addition, there are 90 research and student assistants.

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With its commitment to address emissions and noise regulations in Europe, EMOSS Mobile Systems has developed an Allison transmission-equipped electric semi-truck that has a range exceeding 300 miles.

The EMOSS Electric Vehicle with Extender Range (E.V.E.R.) semi-truck utilizes a 120 kilowatt-hour (kWh) battery pack and a liquefied petroleum gas electricity generator to recharge the battery and achieve maximum range. It is further equipped with an Allison 4500 fully automatic transmission and rated for a gross combination weight of up to 50 metric tons.

“For us, the Allison gearbox is the only combination that gets us the right performance,” said Martijn Noordam, chief technology officer at EMOSS. “Customers who have driven the Allison-equipped EMOSS trucks are 100-percent happy with them. They never thought a start-stop duty-cycle on a 30 percent grade was realistic, yet the truck has executed perfectly.”

Calibrated to use six forward gears when fully-laden, the Allison transmission is critical for hauling heavier payloads and navigating challenging topographies, in countries such as Switzerland and Austria, where mountains and steep slopes are frequent.

“Allison remains committed to the evolution and optimization of the drive train and all forms of commercial vehicle propulsion,” said Randy Kirk, senior vice president of product engineering at Allison. “The Allison automatic provides a proven, immediate and well-integrated solution that enables electrification across a broad range of commercial applications.”

The Allison automatic transmission is key to the driveline. The transmission provides torque multiplication to reduce demand on the electric motor and the battery pack. It also enables the electric motor to operate within the optimal efficiency range for a larger portion of the drive cycle, reducing energy consumption, extending the vehicle’s range and facilitating the use of less-expensive, lighter and smaller components.

EMOSS unveiled the Allison-equipped E.V.E.R. truck, based on a DAF chassis, in November at the eCarTec exhibition in Munich, Germany and plans to commence testing with pilot customers later this year. In addition to the E.V.E.R. truck, EMOSS is currently developing Allison transmission-equipped electric trucks for use in construction, delivery and refuse applications.  These applications include dump trucks, medium-duty straight trucks, refuse collection vehicles and additional semi-truck configurations.

With over a decade of experience in electric mobility, and its full electric powertrain development and integration expertise, EMOSS is a partner for bus and truck manufacturers. Under its own brand, EMOSS is an OEM for electric trucks, buses and vans, as well as auxiliary/battery systems.

 

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FCC Medio Ambiente (the Spanish brand for FCC Environment) celebrates more than 40 years’ commitment to energy efficiency and the introduction of electric vehicles for the provision of environmental services. With more than 115 years’ history in providing urban services, FCC has been a pioneer in research into and the introduction of new sustainable and efficient technologies. In 1974 the company developed and put into service the first electric powered lorry to collect solid urban waste.

FCC Group’s environmental services area, known as FCC Medio Ambiente, currently has a fleet of nearly 12,000 urban service vehicles equipped with the most innovative systems on the market. 550 vehicles in this fleet are either electric, hybrid or self-recharging electric with exclusive FCC technology. It is the most advanced technology that exists for collection services, and is the result of research carried out over more than 40 years through its Machinery Department which has, since its origins, invested in projects designed to achieve more comfortable and sustainable cities.

The electric vehicle fleet provides a service with a lower environmental impact and achieves various fundamental advantages: it does not pollute, its emissions are zero referred to the energy consumed and sound emissions are within the lowest technically possible limit, especially during start-up, braking and in the use of the bodywork. FCC’s technology reaches these advantages without losing power or load capacity performance compared to a vehicle with a conventional diesel engine. It also delivers a much higher energy efficiency since it provides a substantial energy saving of between 70 and 80% compared to internal combustion engines, which in turn means lower operating costs and increased service life.

The most advanced technology for collecting waste in cities

Today, FCC Medio Ambiente is one of the world’s largest environmental services companies and has been undertaking its activity since 1911 when it was awarded the contract for cleaning and conserving the sewerage system in Barcelona, which it continues to provide. Since July 2016 in this contract, FCC has been using the first complete fleet of 100% electric vehicles with 13 sets of specialised machinery on heavy trucks, 28 sets of specialised machinery in vans, as well as an additional 15 vans. It is a clear practical case of eco-efficient engines, and an engineering project with electrical technology carrying the FCC stamp.

FCC’s research into electric vehicles is framed within the set of actions the Group has committed to in fighting climate change. These actions translated in 2016 into avoiding the emission of nearly 480,000 tonnes of CO2, increasing the use of alternative energies by 18% and generating 29% more energy from renewable fuels in its projects.

The challenge to FCC is to continually improve, to keep on reducing the environmental impact and to improve the public’s quality of life. The development and implementation of new technologies is increasingly important and this is why FCC Medio Ambiente continues, after more than a century, to invest and seek innovative solutions to the benefit of the environment and of society.

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For nearly two years, SCHERM Group has used a 100-percent electric Terberg YT202-EV terminal tractor with an Allison fully automatic transmission to efficiently deliver materials to the local BMW Group plant.

“The electric truck has proved itself in city distribution and the just-in-time delivery for BMW is working fluently,” said Ulf Frenzel, fleet manager for SCHERM Group. “The Allison transmission makes it possible to specifically use the power of the electric motor in the best manner. And the e-truck can be maneuvered easily and is extremely easy to drive.”

The fully-electric tractor is equipped with a three-phase synchronous motor (614 V) with a maximum power rating of 138 kW (188 hp) and a fully automatic Allison 3000 Series™ transmission. The Allison Automatic is the key to the driveline: the truck has to launch with a gross combination weight (GCW) of up to 65 tons and achieve maximum speed as quickly as possible to meet the tight delivery schedule. This is made possible by the transmission’s torque converter that multiples engine torque during start-up and acceleration.

Additionally, the Allison transmission eliminates power interrupts for increased productivity – even with a smaller engine. Without the Allison, a direct drive with a larger and significantly more expensive engine would have been necessary. The transmission’s Power Take-Off (PTO) provision is used to drive the hydraulic pump, which saves an additional electric generator.

“The Allison transmission proves its reliability and ease of use in daily operation” said Frenzel. “In addition, we have shorter maintenance downtime than with a conventional diesel vehicle, better productivity and therefore we are much more efficient.”

The 65-ton electric vehicle commutes in two-shift operation eight times daily, five days a week, between the BMW plant in Munich and the SCHERM logistics center which is 3 km away. Since it was put into service in 2015, the vehicle has completed over 3,000 tours equal to approximately 17,000 km. Over the last two years, more than 8,000 liters of diesel have been saved – equivalent to 22 tons of carbon dioxide.

“We are really satisfied with the e-truck,” said Frenzel. “We wanted to prove that electric mobility also works in freight transport, and we achieved our goal.”

Following SCHERM’s success, Elflein Spedition & Transport also began using a similar Allison-equipped electric truck for short-distance transports to the BMW Group plant in Leipzig in November 2016. Because of a higher annual driving performance compared with the vehicle in Munich, carbon dioxide savings of up to 21 tons are possible in Leipzig each year.

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The range of Eiffage Energía’s activities outside Spain started when it began the process of internationalisation of its business lines in 2008, with the construction in Amareleja (Portugal) of the most innovative, ever growing, photovoltaic solar plant so far.

Currently, Eiffage has subsidiaries in Mexico and Chile and its presence on the European continent is still unstoppable. Now, it has also just completed its first project in a new continent: Africais now on the map of its activities, a milestone within its electrical infrastructure works demonstrating the company’s good health.

Thus, Eiffage Energía has successfully tackled its first job on African soil in an overseas department belonging to France and located in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar: Reunion Island: There it has carried out the expansion of the electricity transmission network of the island through a 66 kV double circuit Simplex line and approximately 44 km of extension.

The implementation of the work entrusted to the company Électricité De France (EDF), was divided into three sections of line that will connect the substation of Saint-Paul and the factory Gol in Saint Louis . The third of these sections, which comprises the Saint-Leu terminal and the factory Gol in Saint Louis, was finally isla-reunion-2awarded to Eiffage Energie Transport et Distribution, its commissioning taking place last Saturday 28 May. Meanwhile, Eiffage Travaux Publics, another of the subsidiaries of the Eiffage Group, has been responsible for all the necessary civil works in the project.

Eiffage Energía’s participation in the expansion of Reunion Island’s electricity network has been the assembling and hoisting with cranes of 45 supports, and by helicopter, the laying of optic fibre and conductors in a total of 12.58 km, for which it has counted on the specialised work and experience of a team of 25 people.

 

Source: Eiffage Energia

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For more than six months, the SCHERM Group has been using a 100-percent electric Terberg YT202-EV terminal tractor with an Allison 3000 Series™ fully automatic transmission for the BMW Group’s material transports. As compared to a diesel truck, the YT202-EV saves nearly 12 tons of carbon dioxide from being released into the environment annually.

According to Rainer Zoellner, e-truck project manager at the SCHERM Group, if the electric truck continues to prove itself through the end of its one-year pilot program, project expansion is likely. The BMW and SCHERM groups have a six-figure investment in the pilot project. Thanks to the electric drive, the vehicle generates almost no fine particle pollution and operates very quietly. In addition, the Allison-equipped truck delivers advantages as drivers negotiate Munich’s dense traffic and narrow streets. The 40-ton automatic truck shuttles between SCHERMS’s logistics center and BMW’s plant about 3 km (1.86 miles) away eight times daily during the work week.

The YT202-EV transports components for BMW automobiles, such as shock absorbers, springs and steering systems in two shifts, from 6 a.m. to midnight. The short, repetitive duty cycles are well-suited to the electric truck. With a range of up to 100 km when the battery is fully charged, it can complete the 48 km route per day without pausing to be charged. At night, the batteries are charged for three to four hours with 100-percent green electricity at SCHERM’s own charging station.Allison-3000-Series

Electric motor and Allison – an ideal combination

The heart of the fully-electric YT202-EV terminal tractor is the Siemens liquid-cooled, three-phase synchronous motor (614 V) with a maximum power rating of 138 kilowatts (188 hp). According to Erik-Wim Vos, electric vehicle manager at Terberg Benschop in the Netherlands, the Allison 3000 Series fully automatic transmission is the key to this driveline. “The electric truck should launch with a gross combination weight of up to 65 tons and must achieve maximum speed as quickly as possible,” he said. “In this circumstance, the Allison fully automatic transmission with torque multiplication and full power shifts makes the difference. Moreover we use the live Power Take-Off (PTO) provision to drive the hydraulic pump, which saves an additional electric generator.”

In other words, without an Allison transmission, a direct drive with a larger and significantly more expensive engine would have been required for the YT202-EV. The Allison 3000 Series is also the exclusive transmission solution used in conventional YT towing tractors.Terberg-Electric-Truck_1

Electric truck spreads in Europe

To date, twenty YT202-EV terminal tractors are in operation throughout Europe, including Denmark, Switzerland, Germany and the Netherlands, with additional vehicles due for delivery this year. Since July 2014, logistics service provider Berliner Hafen- und Lagergesellschaft mbH (BEHALA) has used a YT202-EV to transport containers from Berlin’s Westhafen (Western Harbor) to destinations across the city. However, the electric trucks in other countries are used primarily by food companies, including Migros, Ferrero and Bakker Barendrecht (Univeg).

Erik-Wim Vos estimates future interest in the electric terminal tractor will be very high.

 

Source: Allison Transmission

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