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  • LEADING THE WAY - FALKENKLEV LOGISTIK ELECTRIFIES ITS ROUTES FOR DHL IN MALMÖ WITH THE FUSO ECANTER

Falkenklev Logistik from Sweden is converting its city transports in Malmö to purely electric with the new FUSO eCanter and shows what the start of a sustainable transformation in the transport industry can look like.

Swedish company Falkenklev Logistik AB is expanding its electric truck fleet at its Malmö site with a total of six new FUSO eCanter 9C18e trucks. Falkenklev Logistik is a long-standing partner of DHL and mainly operates in the Skåne region on the southern coast of Sweden. The purely electrically powered light distribution trucks are the first eCanter for the Swedish market. FUSO has been represented there by general importer Veho Bil Sverige AB since the beginning of 2024.

With a wheelbase of 4,750 mm and a maximum body length of 7.2 m, the compact 8.55-tonne trucks offer up to 15 pallet spaces. “They fill the segment gap between vans and heavy-duty distributors and are exactly what we were looking for to electrify our daily transport operations for DHL in Malmö city center,” says CEO Victor Falkenklev, describing the requirements. With around 20 to 30 stops to deliver and collect goods and an average length of just under 20 kilometers, the routes are perfect for the use of purely electric vehicles. In contrast to diesel vehicles, which cannot be used very efficiently with constant start-stop use. With the size M battery pack, which consists of two batteries and promises a range of up to 140 kilometers, the new eCanter is therefore more than ideal.

A leap of faith – Falkenklev Logistik CEO orders the eCanter sight unseen

For use in Malmö, Veho fitted the new eCanter with an additional step at the entrance at the customer’s request. Although this would not be necessary due to the already very low entry height of the cab, it should give future drivers, who are switching from larger trucks to the eCanter and are used to steps, a familiar feeling. Veho has also equipped the vehicles with a roof spoiler and side wind deflectors. This has a positive effect on efficiency and harmoniously combines the cab with the box body. Marcus Sjöberg, salesman at Veho Bil in Malmö, is proud to accompany Falkenklev Logistik during the transformation and is currently planning extensive driver training for the official handover.

Victor Falkenklev was not put off by the fact that he was unable to test drive the eCanter in advance or even see it live. Marcus Sjöberg recalls: “Victor, who I had the pleasure of supporting in the purchase of a Mercedes-Benz eActros 300, came to me over a year ago and asked if I had a suitable vehicle. At the time, I couldn’t offer him anything under 16 tons. But I already knew that the new FUSO eCanter was coming soon and told him everything I knew about it at the time – and what can I say, he ordered six of them straight away.”

Pioneering role – Victor Falkenklev strives for a “Green Circle” of sustainability

Waiting and letting others do it first is not Victor Falkenklev’s thing. At least not when it comes to developing his company further. “I’ve been thinking for a while about how to make our business sustainable. I want a greener future for my two young children and also for myself. But that will only happen if everyone in their area stops just talking, takes action and changes something,” says the 33-year-old, explaining the motivation behind his commitment. Together with his mother Marita Falkenklev, the owner, and brother William Falkenklev, the CEO at the Helsingborg site, he is the third generation to run the family business, which his grandparents founded back in 1957.

He is indeed active. “It all started with our solar park, which we had built in 2022,” Victor Falkenklev begins. The plant is located in Perstorp, around 80 kilometers north-east of Malmö, is 15,000 square metres in size, produces over one million kilowatt hours of electricity per year and has a connected battery storage system with a capacity of two megawatts, which helps to stabilize the grid. The electricity is fed into the grid via the public energy supplier and Falkenklev Logistik can use it again at its sites by trading certificates. “We have around 140 trucks on routes that we could easily manage electrically,” explains the CEO. He therefore initially invested in half a dozen heavy-duty distributors from a Swedish manufacturer and the aforementioned eActros. The company also owns almost 20 Mercedes-Benz eSprinters. But his vision goes even further: “Then I thought to myself, okay, we need to charge these vehicles and if we could do that with our own electricity from the solar park at our own charging stations, the ‘Green Circle’ would be complete.”

I've been thinking for a while about how to make our business sustainable. I want a greener future for my two young children and also for myself. But that will only happen if everyone in their area stops just talking, takes action and changes something.
Victor Falkenklev, CEO of Falkenklev Logistik

Business model – charging park develops into its own company

Directly opposite the Falkenklev site in Malmö Arlöv, Sweden’s first and largest charging station for heavy vehicles with 22 CCS2 charging points and a battery storage system has been built. The charging standard enables up to 350 kilowatts of power and is suitable for trucks and cars. “The plan was to charge our trucks there overnight, but I thought, hey, this could also be a business. So we quickly turned it into a charging park that is open to the public during the day and it is used by many people here in the industrial area,” says Victor Falkenklev, describing the development. This is why he is now also CEO of Rifil Laddpark, his own charging infrastructure company. Rifil recently opened a second charging park in Perstorp and three more locations are already being planned for the Skåne region.

The fact that Victor Falkenklev is an absolute pioneer and is already thinking his business beyond mere transportation services becomes all the clearer when he talks about his vision. Further purchases of electric trucks to electrify the fleet 100 percent in the long term are already planned and every suitable surface that Falkenklev Logistik owns, from hall roofs to grass verges, is to be equipped with solar panels. In purely mathematical terms, the company could cover all of its energy requirements itself in around a year and be self-sufficient. “We could run on diesel and make more money, yes. But I just want to contribute whatever I can to make the transport industry more sustainable. Our experience so far has shown that it is possible,” he affirms. He does not lose sight of other opportunities offered by an electrified fleet and adds: “In Sweden, energy suppliers pay the owners of battery storage systems to stabilize the grid.” With bidirectional charging, this could also include the large batteries in electric trucks. This means that trucks would even earn money when stationary.

Quality promise – FUSO eCanter impresses as a Daimler Trucks product

Filip Flygere, Sales Manager at Veho, believes that the eCanter will establish itself in Sweden thanks to its characteristics: “I see it as the perfect vehicle for this segment of electrically powered light distributors. Which is why we have decided to bring it to Sweden. Even though FUSO is an unknown brand on the local market, it belongs to Daimler Trucks and stands for a mature and high-quality product.” Over the course of the year, the general importer is planning to visit trade fairs throughout Sweden with different variants of the eCanter in order to make it better known.

It is not at all unlikely that this could work, after all it has already worked through the short official channels. “While we were preparing the eCanter for Falkenklev Logistik, another customer spotted it in the yard. He also ordered one straight away,” says salesman Marcus Sjöberg and laughs, ”the FUSO eCanter has obviously arrived in Sweden.”

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