Compared to conventional lead-acid batteries, the lithium-ion variety lasts three times longer and boasts significantly shorter charging times. This increases the flexibility of using vehicles equipped with these batteries, and does away with the need for special rooms set aside for battery charging. The resulting freed-up space in transit terminals can be used for cargo handling. “When you factor in the savings in avoided maintenance and damage costs, since the batteries no longer have to be taken out of the vehicle every day for charging, then having a lithium-ion fleet has already paid for itself today,” explains André Bilz, Team Leader Fleet Management Terminal Equipment at Dachser.

The switch is also good news for environmental sustainability. For one thing, the conventional batteries, which have to be replaced after about 1,200 charging cycles, contain lead, a toxic heavy metal. For another, the lithium-ion batteries conserve energy and thus save some 1,600 kilograms of CO2 per vehicle per year. Multiply that by 6,000 ground conveyors and you get 9.6 million kilograms of CO2 annually.

“Dachser invests continuously in cutting-edge logistics facilities and equipment, which ultimately enhances the quality of its services,” explains Michael Schilling, Dachser’s COO Road Logistics. “This modernization project is an excellent example of how profitability and sustainability can go hand in hand, which in turn produces benefits for our customers.”

By 2022, Dachser wants to convert all its Road Logistics locations in Europe to this new technology. The switch will be made step by step; locations will not operate both technologies together. Lithium-ion technology has already been successfully introduced in the Radeburg and Erlensee (Food Logistics) branches, and will now be followed by construction and expansion of facilities, for example in Freiburg and Munich, the plans for which will include the necessary electrical infrastructure from the outset.

In looking at the many suppliers of ground conveyors, once again Dachser aims to work with the leading manufacturers. And as for battery technology, charging infrastructure, and energy management software, the logistics provider has selected Triathlon to be its preferred supplier.

This switch to lithium-ion technology is by no means the end of the project: “Together with our partners, we will be driving forward the development of ground conveyor technology. Our aim is to increase the vehicles’ usability by making them smaller, more maneuverable, and more lightweight,” Bilz says.