Executives travelling by night train between Sweden and Germany, user choosers for whom all-electric driving is matter of course, service employees who are likewise increasingly using (partly) electrified commercial vehicles to travel for maintenance and assembly work … Energy group Vattenfall wants to leave the fossil fuel age behind as quickly as possible – and makes no exceptions when it comes to mobility. The company operates about 4,500 fleet vehicles in its home country of Sweden, in Germany, the Netherlands and other core European markets; according to its sustainability strategy, the switch to pure electric mobility should be completed by 2030 at the latest.

… is perfectly entitled to set such ambitious goals. The green light for the large-scale international project “Combustion-free fleet” was given as far back as 2017. And the results achieved in the intervening six years are impressive. Looking towards Sweden where Vattenfall is the distribution network operator with responsibility for ensuring national security of supply for the entire territory: At the beginning of December 2022, the first ID. Buzz Cargo joined the fleet of light commercial vehicles operated by Vattenfall Services, with 14 more set to follow this year.

The energy group is eagerly anticipating how the all-electric van, which offers zero local emissions and a range of up to 420 km¹⁾, will perform in everyday business. Ultimately, in what is the third largest country in Europe in terms of area size, not only do very long distances have to be covered for maintenance and assembly work; rather the ID. Buzz Cargo can also expect challenges in terms of vehicle load capacity, towing capacity and weather conditions. Change of scene: A somewhat easier but no less important job awaits the all-electric van in the Netherlands, where the ID. Buzz Cargo will be sent on tour by Vattenfall’s electric mobility company InCharge as a type of mobile office to provide citizens and regional stakeholders with information on the possibilities for expanding their charging infrastructure.

Approx. 500 km further east as the crow flies: We are situated directly opposite the Südkreuz train station in Berlin, where the new headquarters of Vattenfall in Germany were opened in 2022. And where not only the award-winning building constructed in a wood-hybrid style reveals how staunchly the Swedish energy group is addressing the topic of sustainability. This is also clear from the umpteen e-bikes parked and charging in the generously sized bike room, and from the charging option available in every single parking space in the underground car park reserved for service vehicles … as aptly described in the words of management: “We are gradually leaving the age of the combustion engine behind us”, sums up Fabian Hagemann (pictured below left), Vice President E-Mobility at Vattenfall GmbH in a nutshell. His colleague Helge Rugor (pictured below right), Vice President with responsibility for Real Estate & Facility Management, adds with a certain degree of pride: “The electrification portion of our German user-chooser fleet now stands at 99 percent.”

Needless to say, such a track record does not happen overnight; it is the result of prudent fleet management. “We deliberately didn’t rush the switch to electric mobility, rather eased our way into it with plug-in hybrids”, explains fleet manager Melanie Schneider (Picture right). “At the same time, we communicated intensely on the topic so we could gradually acclimatise our people to the new drives.” And, as Schneider adds, the extensive consultancy provided by major customers’ advisors at Group Fleet International proved to be extremely helpful.

A hugely successful strategy