Volvo Trucks will begin building 44-ton battery-electric trucks to cement its reputation as a leader in electric heavy-goods-vehicle manufacturing.
The truck maker is launching series production of electric versions of its most important product range of heavy-duty trucks including Volvo FH, Volvo FM and Volvo FMX. These three models represent about two-thirds of the company’s sales.
With these new additions, Volvo Trucks will have six electric models in series production globally, claiming the industry’s broadest electric-truck lineup.
Series production of Volvo’s heaviest electric trucks will start in the Tuve factory in Gothenburg, Sweden, and next year the factory in Ghent, Belgium will follow. Volvo produces the electric trucks on the same line as its conventional trucks, providing production flexibility and efficiency gains. The batteries are supplied by Volvo Trucks’ new battery assembly plant in Ghent.
The truck maker says demand for electric trucks is rapidly increasing in many markets, with one driving force being the need for transport buyers to meet their sustainability goals by shifting to fossil-free transports. Volvo Trucks says its electric portfolio could cover about 45% of all goods transported in Europe today.
Roger Alm, president of Volvo Trucks, says: “This is a milestone and proves that we are leading the transformation of the industry. It’s less than two years ago since we showcased our heavy electric trucks for the very first time. Now we are ramping up volumes and will deliver these great trucks to customers all over Europe and, later on, also to customers in Asia, Australia and Latin America.
“We have sold around 1,000 units of our heavy electric trucks and more than 2,600 of our electric trucks in total,” he says. “We expect volumes to increase significantly in the next few years. By 2030, at least 50% of the trucks we sell globally should be electric.”
