With positive momentum in the sales of the three new heavy-duty all-electric models thus far this calendar, Volvo Trucks believes that the time is right for a rapid upswing in the electrification of heavy road transport. The Swedish company hopes that with the sales start of the new electric Volvo FH and Volvo FM models, electrified transportation is now possible not only for urban areas but also for regional traffic between cities. Besides, the new electric Volvo FMX model is creating new ways to make construction transport operations both quieter and cleaner.
This positive outlook is based on the ability of the company’s electric trucks to meet a wide variety of transport needs. Moreover, the key driver is the possibility of electrifying almost half of all truck transports in the EU soon.
According to the company, large national and international transport buyers are showing strong interest in electric vehicles. This is being driven by their own ambitious climate goals and consumers demand for decarbonisation and cleaner transports.
Roger Alm, President of Volvo Trucks, said, “More and more transport companies are realising they need to start their electrification journey right now, both with the environment in mind and for competitive reasons to satisfy customer requirements for sustainable shipping. With our wide and deep offering, it is totally feasible for far more transport companies to go electric.”
Production Plan
Production of the new electric models for Europe will start in the second half of 2022. They join the Volvo FL Electric and Volvo FE Electric for urban transports that have been in serial production since 2019 for the same market. In North America, sales of the Volvo VNR Electric started in December 2020. With the sales start of the new truck models, Volvo Trucks now has a line-up of six medium and heavy-duty electric trucks, which makes it a complete commercial electric truck range in the industry.
Can it cover about half of EU transport needs?
With the addition of the new products with higher load capacities, more powerful drivelines and a range of up to 300 km, Volvo Trucks’ electric portfolio could cover around 45% of all goods transported in Europe today. According to Eurostat statistics “Road Freight Transport by distance” (2018), 45% of all goods transported on the road in Europe travelled a distance of less than 300 km. This makes it possible to make a vital contribution to lowering the climate impact from road freights, which according to official statistics, account for about 6% of total CO2 emissions in the EU.
Alm explained, “There is huge potential to electrify truck transports in Europe, and also in other parts of the world, in the very near future. To prove this, we have set the ambitious goal to have electric trucks account for half of our sales in Europe by 2030. And these three new heavy-duty trucks we are now launching mark a giant step towards reaching this target.”
Electric solutions
In addition to the electric vehicles, Volvo Trucks’ electrification programme includes a complete eco-system with numerous service, maintenance and financing solutions, as well as other options that can help facilitate an easier and faster transition to electrified transport. The holistic setup will help customers stay productive and in control of their new electric transport fleet.
“These complete electrified transport solutions that we, along with our global network of dealers and service workshops, can provide will play a vital role in ensuring our customer’s success,” believes Roger Alm.
What’s next?
Looking further ahead, even long-distance heavy transports will be able to be done with electric vehicles. To meet the challenging demands for both high load capacity and a much longer range, Volvo Trucks plans to use hydrogen fuel cells to generate electricity.
“This technology is developing rapidly, and our ambition is also to make the long driving distances electrified, using both batteries and fuel cells. Our aim is to start selling fuel-cell electric trucks in the second part of this decade, and we are confident we can make this happen,” Alm added.
In Europe, Volvo currently offers a range of trucks for regional and intercity transport. The models include FM Electric (for heavy local transports and regional distribution), FMX Electric (for construction transport), FE Electric (for local distribution and waste transport) and FL Electric (for local and city distribution). Besides, it also has VNR Electric for the North American market.
Volvo FH, FM and FMX Electric have a range up to 300 km with continuous power of 490 kW, delivering maximum torque of 2,400 Nm. These trucks have a Gross Combination Weight (GCW) of up to 44 tonnes with a battery capacity of 540 kWh.
Volvo FE Electric can go up to 200 km with 330 kW continuous power. It delivers a maximum torque of up to 850 Nm. It has a 264 kWh battery and 27 tonnes of GCW.
The FL Electric has a range of up to 300 km with continuous power of 165 kW. With 16 tonnes GCW and 396 kW battery, it delivers 425 Nm torque.