DAF CF HYBRID STARTS FIELD TRIALS

By starting field trials of its CF hybrid, DAF is looking at extending the promise of zero emissions in the city and long-range outside urban areas.

The recent changes in customer demand and a weaker outlook for the global economy due to the coronavirus pandemic may have compelled PACCARmInc. to suspend truck and engine production facilities at its factories worldwide through much of April 2020. The CV major in February put its CF Hybrid truck on field trials. It did so with the aim to gain daily use experience and extend the promise of zero-emission in the city and long-range outside urban areas. Lending two CF Hybrids to Dutch transport operator Peter Appel to supply supermarkets in the heart of the Netherlands, DAF kicked-off the trials with much confidence about the ability of the trucks to pass the trials with flying colours.

Showcasing the CF Hybrid at the Hannover CV show, Germany, in 2018, along with the LH Electric and CF Electric in a bid to showcase its ability to innovate as well as look at how the future of trucking would look like, the CF Hybrid has been a key innovative product since the time it was born on the drawing board. Drawing from the conventional CF, which is DAF’s flagship product and designed for a wide variety of applications, the CF Hybrid is powered by an 85 kWh battery pack, which allows for a full electric, zero-emission range of 30 to 50 kilometers, depending on the Gross Combination Weight. This setup is aimed at urban city operation. For long-distance travel, the innovative truck is powered by the clean and efficient PACCAR MX-11 diesel engine, where the hybrid technology provides additional fuel savings thanks to the smart energy management. Using clean diesel technology out of town thus and being 100 per cent electric in urban areas, the two XF Hybrids with Peter Appel are contributing to the operator’s efforts to reduce CO2.