A brand-new Electric Truck Assembly situated at the DAF Trucks premises in Eindhoven has been completed.
Construction of this factory for electric trucks was finished in eighteen months.
The first DAF XD and XF Electric trucks will roll off the assembly line this spring.
DAF expects production to rise to several thousand vehicles per annum over the next few years, in line with the increasing demand for fully electric trucks.
The basis for each new generation electric DAF truck is a so-called glider, a chassis without a driveline but with a cab.
The glider is manufactured on DAF’s main truck production line.
The 4×2 and 6×2 rigids and 4×2 prime movers are then converted to XD and XF Electric trucks in an eight-step process on the Electric Truck Assembly production line.
The new factory features two assembly lines.
The battery packs are assembled on the sub-assembly line while all high-voltage components, including batteries and driveline, are mounted on the chassis on the main assembly line. Thorough checks are then carried out at the final stations to ensure that the truck is in perfect working order.
As with every DAF vehicle, the XD and XF Electric are tailor-made to perfectly match the wishes of each individual customer.
This is why the electric PACCAR drivelines are modular. In addition to the availability of two PACCAR EX engines (with six different performance ratings), the battery packs can also be mounted in different positions on the chassis, depending on the customer’s requirements. This guarantees maximum flexibility for bodybuilders.
The DAF XD and XF Electric were launched at the IAA fair in Hanover in September 2022.
The fully electric PACCAR drivelines deliver outputs of between 170 and 350 kW (210 to 480 hp).
DAF also offers a choice of battery packs using a modular approach. The smallest pack contains two ‘strings’ which together have a capacity of 210 kWh and offers a range of up to 200 kilometres. The largest has 5 ‘strings’ with a capacity of 525 kWh and can achieve a range of over 500 kilometres.
The electric trucks are equipped for rapid charging and even the largest battery pack can be charged from 0 per cent to 80 per cent in just over 45 minutes.
“The brand-new DAF XD represents a new benchmark in the distribution segment thanks to its unparalleled safety features and efficiency and its sublime driver comfort,” said DAF in a statement.
“Not surprisingly, the DAF XD series was recently crowned ‘International Truck of the Year 2023’, following in the footsteps of the DAF XF, XG and XG⁺, which were named ‘International Truck of the Year 2022’,” the company said.
DAF claims the unique DNA of the XD, XF, XG and XG⁺ is also a standard feature of the XD Electric and XF Electric.
DAF is expanding its production facilities with a new Electric Truck Assembly factory in Eindhoven, where the production of the New Generation DAF XD and XF Electric will commence in Autumn.