Schmitz Cargobull Welcomes EcoDuo Pilot Project

At the beginning of September, a project consortium of German and Spanish companies, led by the Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA), launched a one-year pilot project with the EcoDuo vehicle combination to optimize the pre- and post-haulage in combined transport. Following positive experiences from similar projects in Spain and Scandinavia, the long truck concept is now to be tested in Germany, among other goals, to reduce the CO2 footprint in the transport chain.

(Horstmar) The EcoDuo is a vehicle combination where two standard semi-trailers are pulled by a single tractor unit. Connected with a dolly, the EcoDuo reaches a total length of 31.70 meters. The standard semi-trailers can be easily loaded onto the rail, unlike the long truck, where the dimensions of the semi-trailers deviate from the norm.

Andreas Schmitz, CEO of Schmitz Cargobull: “Compared to previous long truck concepts, existing semi-trailers can continue to be used without expensive investments. With modern vehicles that are technologically up to date regarding axle and brake systems, the EcoDuo meets all safety standards. The EcoDuo combination is ideally suited for combined transport and immediately reduces CO2 emissions per ton transported on the road.”

Between Hanover and Wolfsburg

During the one-year pilot phase in Germany, the EcoDuo will operate between the Volkswagen plant in Wolfsburg and the MegaHub in Lehrte, located 70 kilometers away from Hanover.

The Volkswagen Group provides the transport route, on which production containers have previously been handled exclusively by truck between Wolfsburg and Spain. Now, the global logistics service provider Sesé will transport the EcoDuo from the VW plant to the Lehrte terminal, operated by the German Transshipment Company Rail-Road and Kombiverkehr. From there, the semi-trailers will be transported 1,700 kilometers environmentally friendly by rail to Spain within the Kombiverkehr KG network. At the transshipment terminal in Barcelona, the individual semi-trailers will be re-coupled into an EcoDuo combination and also driven by Sesé to the destination by road. TÜV Rheinland is accompanying the pilot project from a road traffic law and scientific perspective.

Basis for Real Operations

The one-year pilot trial aims to evaluate the opportunities and risks of the EcoDuo vehicle combination based on real operations and to determine the savings potential on the road and in terminal operations. The results of this pilot project will be summarized in a final report.

Andreas Schmitz: “With the collaboration of all involved partners, we have created a broad basis for this pilot project. This is a good starting point for a high level of general acceptance. With the EcoDuo, we emphasize our European orientation, as it complies with standard dimensions and can be easily used in intermodal transport, such as on rail. Therefore, we see the EcoDuo as an ecologically and economically efficient transport solution across Europe.”

Advantages over Conventional Articulated Trucks

The EcoDuo concept offers the following advantages over conventional articulated trucks with a trailer with a total weight of 40 tons:
– Reduction of fuel consumption and thus CO2 emissions per ton transported
– Reduction of individual axle loads
– Increase in road capacity, or reduction of traffic through the use of fewer vehicles with more capacity
– Relief of roads and bridges through the reduction of axle loads and the number of articulated trucks
– Mitigation of the driver shortage – one driver, two trailers for long distances.

Photo: © Schmitz Cargobull