EcoDuo - Innovative vehicle combination in combined transport

A project consortium of German and Spanish companies has started a one-year pilot project with the EcoDuo vehicle combination to optimize the pre- and post-carriage in combined transport. Following positive experiences with comparable projects in Spain and Scandinavia, this concept is also to be tested in Germany - with the aim, among other things, of reducing the CO2 footprint in the transport chain.

EcoDuo - innovative, efficient and sustainable

The EcoDuo is an innovative vehicle combination in which two standard semi-trailers are driven by just one tractor unit. Connected to a dolly (fifth wheel coupling for attaching a semi-trailer), the EcoDuo has a total length of 31.70m. The standard semi-trailers can be easily loaded onto the rail, in contrast to long trucks, where the dimensions of the semi-trailers deviate from the norm.

Thanks to the high compatibility of the modal carriers in combined transport and the operation with just one tractor, the EcoDuo can achieve twice the transport volume while simultaneously reducing road loads, fuel consumption and emissions. The total weight of this vehicle combination can be a maximum of 44 tonnes and is distributed over a total of ten axles. The axle loads are therefore well below the maximum permissible loads.

In addition, the current driver shortage can be counteracted. The EcoDuo concept replaces two conventional truck journeys. The EcoDuo thus achieves greater transport efficiency while simultaneously increasing environmental friendliness. The EcoDuo enables leveraging new efficiency potential in the transport chain.

From road to rail

For the pilot project - under the leadership of the Association of the Automotive Industry - the EcoDuo is provided by the vehicle manufacturer Schmitz Cargobull. The Volkswagen Group is providing the transport connection for this pilot project. Up to now, production containers between Wolfsburg and Spain have only been transported by truck. Now the global logistics service provider Sesé is driving the EcoDuo from the Volkswagen plant in Wolfsburg to the MegaHub Lehrte terminal near Hanover, 70km away, which is operated by the German handling company Schiene-Straße und Kombiverkehr. From there, the semi-trailers are transported 1,700km by rail to Spain in the Kombiverkehr KG network in an environmentally friendly way. At the transshipment station in Barcelona, the individual semi-trailers are coupled together again to form an EcoDuo combination and also driven by road through Sesé to the destination. TÜV Rheinland is supporting the pilot project scientifically and from a perspective of road traffic law.

During the one-year pilot phase, the EcoDuo will be accompanied by a security vehicle between Lehrte and Wolfsburg, and by another one in the Lehrte urban area. The vehicles indicate the particular length of the vehicle combination, which is being used for the first time in Germany. The pilot should also show that these official requirements are not necessary in practice to ensure safe operation.

Andreas Rade, VDA Managing Director: "The EcoDuo addresses two of the major challenges in transport: the transition to climate neutrality and the shortage of drivers. The principle is as simple as it is ingenious: two semi-trailers for one truck tractor mean double the load on a single trip. This drastically reduces road congestion, fuel consumption and emissions. With this project, we are showing how we can find the best solutions together through intra-European cooperation. For me, the EcoDuo is a prime example of future mobility and our ability to innovate: because it shows how we can make the most of the potential of combined transport - and how well road and rail fit together." 

Andreas Schmitz, CEO Schmitz Cargobull: "With the cooperation of all partners involved, we have created a broad basis for this pilot project. This is a good starting point for a high level of general acceptance. With the EcoDuo, we are underlining our European orientation, because it corresponds to the usual standard dimensions and can be used without any problems in intermodal transport, for example on rail. We therefore see the EcoDuo as an ecologically and economically efficient transport solution throughout Europe."

Carlos Giner, Transport Director Sesé: "Modular and intermodal transport is a fundamental part of Sesé's strategy to achieve a more sustainable and efficient supply chain. These vehicles have shown great benefits in terms of emission reduction, efficiency and safety, and represent a viable and immediate solution to reduce the environmental impact of freight transport. Sesé was the first company to introduce the EcoDuo in Spain and we recently installed the first vehicles of this type in southern Europe, already running on renewable fuels. Pioneering the EcoDuo in Germany is the best starting point for future deployments with this type of vehicle in Germany."

Simon Motter, Chairman of Management Board Volkswagen Group Logistics: "Compatibility makes it possible: put the semi-trailer on the rails and off you go. We are delighted to be the first in Germany to pilot this technology with our partners and the Wolfsburg site. This is a useful innovation because the EcoDuo in combined transport supports our zero impact logistics sustainability strategy in several ways: The truck - battery-powered in the future - takes over the regional pre- and post-carriage for long-distance rail transport. Transporting twice the load volume with just one truck tractor and just one driver reduces emissions and also counteracts the driver shortage. Reduced costs in the pre- and post-carriage will render combined transport more economical - we need exactly these kinds of creative approaches!"

Heiko Krebs, Managing Director of Kombiverkehr GmbH & Co. KG: "We see the use of EcoDuo vehicle combinations as a further increase in the attractiveness of the pre- and post-carriage of combined road-rail transport. The transport of 13.65m standard trailers on pocket wagons is now common practice in Europe-wide transport. The first test runs have shown that the roundabouts with extra-long vehicle combinations on the terminal site at the Hannover Lehrte MegaHub will work. These findings from the project can be transferred to other terminals, so that EcoDuo vehicle combinations can be an additional alternative for freight forwarders in the future to make the pre- and post-carriage even more efficient and climate-friendly." 

Thomas Quernheim, Global Business Unit Manager Engineering & Homologation, TÜV Rheinland: "TÜV Rheinland has been working on how long trucks can be used safely for many years. In our view, the EcoDuo is ideally suited for combined transport. Our experts will test the new vehicle concept together with the VDA and other international project partners on the selected route profile. The aim is to prove that the EcoDuo can be operated safely and can reduce the burden on the environment - for example by reducing CO2 emissions when transporting goods. We are delighted to be a partner in this transport concept that is as innovative as it is sustainable."

Link to Project Website