Milk collection has a new electric contender. Dutch operator Van Der Mierden Transport has taken delivery of a one-off DAF XD Electric, combining paintwork inspired by DAF's 1996 racing truck with a working assignment collecting milk.
What powers this DAF XD Electric?
The truck uses an XD 350 FT 4x2 tractor chassis, a 350 kW drivetrain and a 525 kWh battery. DAF quotes more than 500 km (311 miles) per charge, depending on the application. Dealer Truckland delivered the vehicle, which DAF Netherlands specified.
DAF's wider XD Electric range uses lithium iron phosphate batteries and offers DC fast charging up to 325 kW. The delivery announcement does not identify this truck's charging specification, wheelbase or tanker payload. Fleet buyers need those figures before calculating route suitability.
Can an electric truck handle milk-collection routes?
Repeatable collection circuits can support depot charging because operators can match replenishment to scheduled returns. Milk collection also adds a changing load: each farm pickup increases tanker mass. That makes a fully loaded return leg a necessary test of energy demand, rather than relying on an advertised range.
Consider a planning scenario, not a measured result: a 300 km (186-mile) circuit averaging 1.2 kWh/km (1.93 kWh/mile) consumes 360 kWh. Operators must then check usable battery energy, reserve requirements and any auxiliary demand outside that assumption.
Pro-Tip: Compare cost per tonne delivered using loaded-route measurements. Count charging losses and verify available depot power before choosing a charger.
- Measure consumption across the complete collection circuit.
- Weigh the tractor and tanker to establish payload.
- Include charging time in the working schedule.
