Working together to advance electromobility
By Marcus Schick I 6 minute read
24/03/2025
DACHSER has been delivering ABB’s goods to markets throughout Europe for 15 years, but its collaboration with the energy and automation group goes far beyond goods transportation. Both companies are driving electromobility forward, and DACHSER itself is now also using ABB E-mobility state-of-the-art charging infrastructure to keep its e-trucks on the road.
Harun Özdemir has finished work; his tours are done for today. Before he heads home, he “refuels” his truck. But this is no ordinary diesel filling station: instead of a fuel hose, there’s a cable with a large plug. A signal lights up green as soon as the plug is connected to the charging socket on the electric vehicle. Özdemir’s all-electric Volvo truck is based at DACHSER’s Malsch branch outside Karlsruhe, Germany, and he drives the shuttle route to nearby Sasbach. It takes just over an hour to recharge his e-truck’s large batteries using an ABB E-mobility A400 400 kW DC ultra-fast charger, a new charging option that went into operation at DACHSER in Malsch at the end of 2024.
What began as a pure freight forwarding service has gradually developed into a wide-ranging collaboration with various ABB business units.
A broad spectrum of electrical engineering
DACHSER’s choice of high-tech equipment from this vendor is no coincidence; the logistics provider and ABB have enjoyed a partnership of mutual trust for over 15 years. “What began as a pure freight forwarding service has gradually developed into a wide-ranging collaboration with various ABB business units,” explains Caroline Schäfer, Key Account Manager European Logistics at DACHSER. “We mainly take care of ABB’s Europe-wide groupage logistics and full truck loads. These shipments depart from Malsch and two other German locations. We also transport ABB shipments from Belgium, Hungary, and France to other European countries.”
ABB Electrifications is the Swedish-Swiss electrical engineering company’s biggest business line. It includes ABB Striebel & John, headquartered in Sasbach, just under 50 kilometers from Malsch. This unit produces various kinds of electronic equipment here, and the daily output of new goods is very high. The range covers everything from wall-mounted and floor-standing cabinets, fire protection enclosures, and modular switchgear cabinets for commercial and industrial applications through to distribution boards, small distributors, and meter cabinets for residential buildings. Add to that ABB E-mobility’s DC chargers for electromobility.
In the face of increasing demand, time pressure is always high. However, given the restricted ramp space at ABB’s on-site warehouse, the timing of shuttle services between Sasbach and the DACHSER branch in Malsch is crucial. That’s why the e-truck makes the trip every day to ensure that goods rapidly find their way into DACHSER’s close-knit logistics network. “DACHSER’s strong focus on quality and customer satisfaction really stand out, and we value the company’s reliability,” says Christopher Steffens, Transportation & Trade Leader Electrification at ABB. “Sustainability is also important to us, so we’ve launched a joint pilot in Sasbach and are looking forward to tackling new projects together.”
ABB is a leading technology company in the fields of electrification and automation, whose goal is to enable a more sustainable and resource-efficient future.
Focus on climate action and electromobility
In other words, there’s more than just well-established logistics processes connecting DACHSER and ABB. The latter’s broad product and solution portfolio of electrotechnical components and energy distribution systems is also a perfect fit for both companies’ climate protection strategies. In 2018, DACHSER began rolling out its DACHSER Emission-Free Delivery concept with electric vehicles and cargo bikes in 25 major European cities. Since January 2023, the company has also opened three e-mobility locations in Freiburg, Hamburg, and Malsch. These locations focus on testing and researching various aspects of electromobility: zero-emission technologies as well as intelligent power and load management for battery-electric shuttle and regular scheduled services with semi-trailer trucks and swap bodies. They are also involved in setting up a correspondingly efficient charging infrastructure.
In recent years, electromobility has been gaining ground in cars, with regular launches of new battery-electric model series, some of them in the premium segment. But in heavy-duty transport, it’s still in its infancy. “Electric trucks are coming onto the market only gradually. We’re delighted to be testing these new vehicles and applications in practice, because it’s a way for us to play a major part in developing emission-free transportation,” says Bernd Großmann, General Manager of DACHSER’s Karlsruhe logistics center. “Building up this experience together with our customers makes it a win-win for all sides.”
Electric trucks are coming onto the market only gradually. We’re delighted to be testing these new vehicles and applications in practice, because it’s a way for us to play a major part in developing emission-free transportation.
More power for e-trucks
After successfully launching them in Dortmund and Nuremberg, DACHSER has now put more than ten ABB E-mobility high-performance chargers into operation at a number of its branches. The A400 ultra-fast charger for trucks in Malsch is among them. It can deliver an output of up to 400 kW to a single vehicle; if two electric vehicles draw power from the CCS device at the same time, it splits its output using dynamic load distribution in 50 kW increments in line with the vehicles’ different charging patterns.
“DACHSER’s willingness to test new technologies such as the A400 charger underlines its commitment to sustainable innovation,” says Thomas Hering, Key Account Manager at ABB E-mobility. “Our partnership is based on trust and candor. The constructive feedback we receive from the DACHSER team helps us tailor our technology to the needs of the logistics industry so we can further advance sustainable transport solutions.”
For Steven Croissant, Sales Manager at DACHSER’s Karlsruhe logistics center, one thing is already clear: “The new ultra-fast charger in Malsch is another important step toward the electrification and decarbonization of supply chains.”
A toolbox for electromobility
In logistics, the key thing is to be on the move 24 hours a day, so it’s important to integrate recharging cycles as efficiently and economically as possible. “Focusing on certain specific routes, we can use our ABB chargers to do some really comprehensive practical testing of what works and what doesn’t in everyday logistics with heavy-duty e-trucks,” Großmann adds. DACHSER’s aim is to use the findings from these field trials to develop a toolbox for setting up e-infrastructure in the branches, one that does justice to customer requirements, technological possibilities, and business efficiency.
According to Croissant, this is something that DACHSER’s drivers appreciate as well. “Taking an e-truck out on the road for the first time is such a positive experience for drivers, especially in terms of driving comfort and workload. Once you go electric, there’s no looking back.” Last but not least, these vehicles have considerable potential to turn driving trucks back into a more attractive profession. Özdemir can personally attest to this. “Electromobility in everyday logistics is fun, and it has a future. But sometimes I wish things would go a little faster.”
