The consortium of German and Spanish companies formed by Sesé; the Volkswagen Group; Schmitz Cargobull; the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA); Kombiverkehr and TÜV-Rheinland have carried out the first duotrailer journey in Germany. The project, called EcoDuo, will last one year and will make routes between Spain and Germany combining the transport of goods by road and rail. It is the first time that a vehicle of this type has circulated on German roads.
The EcoDuo, operated by Sesé, will travel from the Volkswagen Group plant in Wolfsburg to the Lehrte terminal near Hanover, 70 kilometres away. From there, the semi-trailers will be transported by rail to Spain and, once at the transfer station in Barcelona, the individual semi-trailers will be recoupled to form the bi-trailer that Sesé will operate again to its destination.
Carlos Giner, Director of the Transport Division of Sesé, assured that “modular and intermodal solutions are a fundamental element of Sesé’s strategy to achieve a more sustainable and efficient supply chain. These vehicles have demonstrated great benefits in terms of emission reduction, efficiency, safety and represent a viable and immediate solution to reduce the environmental impact of freight transport. Being a pioneer in duotrailer travel, also in Germany, is the best starting point for future operations with this type of vehicle in Europe.
A success story from Spain transferred to Germany
After the experience gained in Spain during six years of trials with bi-trailers and the recent homologation of these vehicles in December last year, Sesé is crossing borders to promote, together with the consortium partners, the future implementation of this modular vehicle in Germany. The EcoDuo is a combination of vehicles in which two standard semi-trailers are powered by a single tractor head, allowing the vehicle to transport twice as much goods; contributing to the decongestion of roads by reducing the number of trucks in circulation and reducing fuel consumption.
Currently, Sesé has 60 duotrailer vehicles in its fleet that allow increasing travel efficiency and reducing CO2 emissions by 30% to 90% when running on renewable fuels.
Official presentation at the ‘IAA Transportation’ trade fair in Hanover
The EcoDuo project will be presented at the official IAA Transportation 2024 press conference in Hannover on September 16 and will remain on display throughout the event, from September 17 to 22.
