In Finland's extreme cold, the Renault Trucks E-Tech T Diamond Echo defies preconceptions

After travelling 23,000 kilometres across Europe, Renault Trucks' Diamond Echo electroluminescent electric truck brought its roadshow to a close in Finnish Lapland. This final leg, marked by temperatures as low as -19°C, demonstrated the reliability of electric trucks, even in extreme winter conditions.

Since leaving the manufacturer's headquarters in Lyon last April, the Renault Trucks E-Tech Diamond Echo, an electric and electroluminescent truck, has covered 23,000 kilometres in Europe. It was driven through France, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Spain, Switzerland, Belgium and Germany, completing daily stages of up to 700 km thanks to optimised management of intermediate charging. The longest distance accomplished by this Renault Trucks E-Tech T on a single charge was 360 km, on a single journey between Switzerland and Germany.

For the final phase of the roadshow, the Renault Trucks E-Tech Diamond Echo set off for Finland in December 2024, with a view to demonstrating the performance of electric trucks in harsh climatic conditions. On arrival in Finland, the Renault Trucks E-Tech T Diamond Echo covered 1,600 kilometres between Helsinki and Rovaniemi in Lapland, including a 250 km stage on a single charge and a day culminating in 700 km, with two intermediate charges. This expedition has helped to dispel a number of preconceived ideas about the performance of electric trucks in extreme cold.

“The tests carried out in Finland have confirmed that electric trucks remain fully operational, even in tough winter conditions,” explained Régis Pierrelle, Director of Electromobility Operations at Renault Trucks. “Contrary to popular belief, we didn’t encounter any problems related to range, charging availability or charging times. Heating the cab had no significant impact on range, largely thanks to the programmable pre-heating system offered by Renault Trucks, which optimises energy consumption.”

In these severe climatic conditions, with temperatures falling to -19°C, the electric truck kept up performance levels comparable to those of diesel trucks. The cold caused a slight increase in consumption (between 10 and 15%), mainly due to common factors affecting all types of powertrains, such as aerodynamics and winter tyres.

“One of our customers in Finland even told us that, on a -30°C day last winter, the only truck in his fleet that started up was a Renault Trucks electric model. The diesel trucks were grounded because of the crystallisation of AdBlue”, added Régis Pierrelle. This provides further proof of the reliability of electric trucks in extreme cold.

With this final stage, Renault Trucks rounds off a year of practical demonstrations of the operability and reliability of its electric solutions.