The MAN eTGM conquers the winter

Winter is finally over – and with it, the risk of our roads turning into ice rinks. That means it’s time for gritting vehicles to head back to the depot until the temperatures start to drop towards freezing once more. In the Netherlands, one of the gritters used this year performed its duties on electric power alone. But how would it hold up to the cold and inclement conditions? We visited entrepreneur Gerrit Zuurmond to find out.

Gerrit Zuurmond is standing in his yard, a look of satisfaction on his face. The cold and unpredictable weather has passed, the ice is thawing – and the Dutch entrepreneur’s fleet of electric trucks has come through the winter with flying colours. Alongside its MAN eTGE, Zuurmond’s business also has three MAN eTGMs – and the 26-tonne, fully electric trucks provided by MAN have proven themselves to be reliable assistants all through the winter. But how does one go about running a gritter business in a country like the Netherlands, where snow is a relatively rare occurrence? After all, the last comparable snowstorm to hit the country was back in 2010. The answer is simple: the Netherlands have special gritting vehicles tailored to their winters. When a certain amount of snow is forecast, construction companies are contacted to see whether they can spare any of their tipper capacity. The tippers provided are then equipped with a retrofit system for the duration of the wintry weather, and the silos containing the grit are lashed onto the tipping area. The gritting drive in this construction is powered by a hydraulic pump, which is flanged onto the wheel hub on the back axle. This ensures that the speed and the grit volume are in perfect proportion to one another. At De Jong Zuurmond, the gritter structure was mounted on the existing swap body system for the duration of the winter.

The truck is driven by an electric motor rated at 264 kW (360 hp) that delivers a maximum torque of 3,100 Nm. This makes it the perfect solution for the challenges De Jong Zuurmond face every day. The company is an administration and maintenance specialist for the Netherlands’ highways and waterways – and is actively committed to protecting the environment. As such, De Jong Zuurmond generates the electricity for its MAN electric trucks using its own wind turbines.

“The MAN eTGM has enabled us to strengthen our electric fleet and take a sizeable step towards our goal of becoming a zero-emissions business. MAN is the only manufacturer that can currently offer a factory-built electric vehicle that is suitable for our purposes.”

What better reason to take a look at the Netherlands’ first electric gritter and pick up some interesting facts on this topic?

The truck’s stamina and charging procedure

MAN’s fully electric MAN eTGM offers a range of up to 200 kilometres, depending on its area of application and the climate and topographical conditions. Powering a gritting vehicle electronically is a thorough test of the battery’s range, as the air-conditioning system needs to be on at all times to keep the vehicle heated and the driver warm. In spite of this, the electric truck still delivered an outstanding performance when used for winter road maintenance in the Netherlands. This was thanks in no small part to the clever usage and charging strategy developed by Gerrit Zuurmond, which ensured that the battery never even came close to reaching the limits of its capacity – even in the cold winter weather. At Zuurmond, each gritting job requires the vehicle to cover 100 kilometres of ground. At the end of its run, the truck heads back to the construction site with its battery about half empty. It is then charged for four hours until the battery is full again. Once this is done, the vehicle picks up a new load of grit and starts its next run. At Zuurmond, the vehicles are charged using the company’s own charging containers. These contain batteries that are themselves charged up using wind energy and solar panels. The trucks are generally charged using either alternating current with a charging capacity of 22 or 44 kW, or with 150 kW of direct current in what is known as a “high-power charging” procedure. The truck is powered using high-performance lithium-ion batteries provided by the Volkswagen Group. These are located beneath the cab, above the front axle, where the diesel driveline is located in conventional vehicles. Other batteries can be found on the vehicle frame. The electric gritters have proven a great success in their first winter on the job, with excellent results and performance across the board.

Special considerations on the road

Electric gritters differ from vehicles with conventional diesel engines in a number of key ways. The most important thing for drivers to remember before they start their gritting run is to unplug their vehicle from the charging station and make sure the battery is properly charged. The driver’s cab has all the same features as a normal truck – from seats with air suspension to a full heating system, electric trucks don’t skimp on comfort. Auxiliary units such as the power steering, air compressors, and air-conditioning system are operated electrically and controlled as required by the energy management system, thus saving energy. But where an electric gritter really stands apart from its diesel-driven cousins is when it comes to the driving. During acceleration and braking phases, the kinetic energy of the vehicle is converted into electrical energy and returned to the battery storage. This can significantly increase the vehicle’s range. A display in the cockpit shows the driver the current energy levels of the batteries.

Driver vocational training

Drivers at Zuurmond need more than just a normal truck driver’s licence before the company will let them take the wheel of one of their electric vehicles. All the drivers have also been given additional training by MAN ProfiDrive, in the form of a course aimed specifically at addressing the challenges of driving a fully electric vehicle. The course takes a detailed look at how exactly to charge a truck and how to secure it properly in case of an accident. But while this training represents an extra hurdle for Zuurmond employees, it is one they are happy to accept in order to take their electric giants out on the road. The company’s drivers have also been full of praise for the new trucks – especially the fact that they can drive in peace without all the noise a conventional model would generate. In short, the electric gritters can do everything their diesel-powered cousins can – all while helping to protect the environment.