NANU! – Electric mobility
in city logistics

Project NANU! – nighttime deliveries with electric commercial vehicles – deals with sustainable urban logistics, and a number of companies and organizations are taking part in it: they include Castellan AG, the Fraunhofer Institute, Hüffermann Transportsysteme, Logistic Network Consultance, TU Berlin and shipping company Meyer & Meyer. The core question is, "Can a low-emission electric truck in nighttime and 24-hour use be used so efficiently that it not only replaces a diesel truck, but also makes trips during the day superfluous?" After all, inner-city deliveries cause bottlenecks and dominate local peak loads for key pollutant concentrations.

In an earlier project, researchers first gained practical everyday experience with electrically powered 7.5t trucks. Two main problems quickly materialized during the project: the charging time for the batteries was much too long and there was a lack of acceptance for the short swap body.

The NANU! project is based on a 12t truck with a standard swap body, which the participants and their partners are converting for operation with replaceable batteries. That should solve the charging time problem and facilitate the usual deliveries for customers such as wholesale electronics markets or fashion chains. The electric trucks could then be used around the clock – even at night – which would not be conceivable with diesel trucks due to noise restrictions. Efficient use by day and night could crucially improve the overall cost-effectiveness of electric medium-duty commercial vehicles.

But for it to reach that point, the partners have to solve many complex problems. In addition to the construction of the electric truck, they face the challenge of developing a replacement battery system, including charging infrastructure. They have to develop a device allowing the driver to swap the 200-kilogram batteries on his own. Initial plans for two exchange stations are also new territory.

The development of software is another key part of the project. Its purpose is to control the charge management system that takes optimum account of the scheduled routes. The charging device must always know how full it should charge the battery for the next routes. Intensive customer care is also required: after all, a delivery must still be possible at three in the morning.