New electric 4×4 RoRo tractor gains traction as ports plug in [video]

The first regular production versions of a new 4×4 electric RoRo terminal truck co-developed by MOL and Volvo Penta have been put to work by European logistics giant DFDS – and hundreds more could be on the way.

Volvo Penta and MOL deployed the first of its electric 4×4 RoRo tractors (shown, above) at a DFDS wet port operation back in 2024. There, the RoRo truck (for “roll-on, roll-off”) was used and abused, handling extreme payloads in all weather conditions and the consistent high g-forces associated with hitching up to a heavy trailer up to 100 times in a single shift, over several shifts per day.

The result? The MOL electric terminal tractor was good enough to convince DFDS to start phasing out a big chunk of its 280 diesel yard trucks.

“The MOL and Volvo Penta engineering teams asked us exactly what we wanted,” explains Raf De Wit, terminal director at DFDS. “They delivered it, and then asked us how they could improve it and help us further. It’s great finding solutions together, and that’s exactly how it should be, particularly in this new era of electrification.”

MOL 4×4 electric terminal truck

The truck itself is powered by a three Volvo Penta battery packs worth 270 kWh of installed energy. The batteries send power to a EPT802 gearbox and two, 200 kW electric drive motors (one on each axle). A separate, 50 kW motor powers the truck’s hydraulic systems and fifth wheel.

MOL’s close ties with Volvo Trucks and Volvo Penta also means that these RoRos have access to those companies’ charging technologies. As such, the new MOL-developed tractors have access to both L2 and DC fast charging though the CCS standard.

There’s no specific mention of Penta Connect – the company’s web-based platform for tracking product service history, warranty status, and accessing manuals for all registered Penta products – but Penta’s “total solution” offering allows MOL and other OEM partners access to Volvo Penta power, charging, service and parts support, and VCFS financing, so the assumption that the service/support telematics solutions seems like a solid one.

Check with your MOL or Volvo Trucks/Penta dealer for more information about ordering and accessibility. The next six 4×4 RoRos will be delivered to a DFDS port operation in the Netherlands later this quarter.

Electrek’s Take

Whether you call them terminal trucks, yard dogs, or mules, these heavy-duty workhorses are tailor-made for electrification. Their work is all low-speed, high-torque, short-distance precision moves – and that’s exactly the kind of job electric drivetrains excel at. The quiet, vibration-free, instant power operation of electric drive is in its element at ports, which is why electric terminal tractors have become one of the fastest-growing segments in commercial trucking.

Now, with the addition of a tough, high-torque 4×4 option, customers in wet, slick, and icy environments will have no reason not to electrify.

SOURCE | IMAGES: Volvo Penta; via Electrive.

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