IN collaboration with Swedish truck maker Scania, forest company SCA has developed the world’s first electric logging truck. The vehicle is used between SCA’s wood terminal in Gimonäs and its Obbola paper mill outside Umeå in the north of Sweden, a 30-km round trip.

The Swedish forest industry is one of Sweden’s largest transport buyers. In terms of exports, sea is the dominant mode of transport, but domestically it is often road or rail. Switching entirely to fossil-free transport is a key step towards pushing for more sustainable development.

It is also one of the Swedish forest industries’ pledges included in its Road to the Future policy document. And that is why the world’s first electric timber truck, which is currently in service on the forest roads outside Umeå, is so important. 

“Our industry has come a long way towards being free from fossil fuels, and with this collaboration we’re also taking a step towards more sustainable solutions for heavy truck transport,” said Susanne Rutqvist, product director with responsibility for climate issues at SCA.

READ MORE: SCA: World's first 80-tonne electric timber truck now being test driven in Sweden

The truck needs to be charged twice a day, and calculations show that this will reduce SCA’s carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 55 tonnes a year.