Volvo’s Heavy Duty Electric Trucks - On Sale Now!

In-depth

13 Jun

Anyone who attended the Brisbane Truck Show (BTS) couldn’t help but notice the number of electric trucks – of all shapes and sizes – that were on display. Truckin With Kermie will cover those in more detail in the next few days.

Volvo, whilst not the first electric truck to market in Australia – that honour belongs to Fuso and their eCanter – they have jumped off the starting blocks at the heavy duty end of the market with not one, but five offerings. All but one of these trucks are available today and the other can be ordered right now.

Indeed, by 2027, Volvo will be manufacturing EV’s at their Wacol, Brisbane plant.

So important do Volvo regard these trucks that they did not wait until the truck show to show their wares, inviting the trucking media up to Wacol the day before the show began.

Along with Volvo Australia’s President, Martin Merrick and VP, Gary Bone, the company imported International President of Volvo Trucks, Roger Alm and Senior Vice President, Per-Erik Lindstrom – underlining the importance of the Australian market to Volvo.

**L-R. Martin Alm, Martin Merrick, Gary Bone, Per-Erik Lindstrom**

Volvo decided early on that electrification was the best way to reach zero emissions for both their customers and to aid society in general, commencing line production in 2019 of their first electric trucks for distribution and handling. In September last year they commenced production of heavy duty EV trucks.

Volvo have six EV trucks in production, ranging from city distribution to regular haul and construction transport. With by far the widest offering of EV trucks, the company’s market share in Europe and North America is close to 50%.The market share compared to diesel is obviously still small but is growing quickly. To date Volvo have sold more than 5,000 EV’s into 40 countries.

Roger Alm: “Our ambition is that 50% of our global product will be Battery-Electric (BEV) or Fuel Cell Electric by 2030. By 2040 our aim is that all trucks we sell will be net zero emission.”

Per-Erik Lindstrom continued the theme by first pointing to the development and increased efficiency of the company’s internal combustion diesel engines (ICE). Today their diesel motors have roughly 50 % thermal efficiency, which rival Formula One engines. Those diesel engines can also run on HVO (Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil, also referred to as Renewable Diesel), LPG and LPG/D - a mixture of LPG and diesel. All these systems reduce emissions.

To add to the mix, and coming in the not-too-distant future is Fuel Cell technology. Powered by hydrogen, the fuel cells in turn provide power to batteries which will drive these trucks. Herein lies the probable solution for Australia’s long distances as these trucks are expected to have a range of 1,000 km and can be refuelled in around the same time as current diesel engines.

If you are sceptical about EV trucks it is worth noting that Volvo have 1,000 customers who have elected to buy EV’s to deliver goods to their clients. To support them Volvo has taken an holistic approach including charging, route planning and battery optimisation to give them peace of mind.

Martin Merrick referred to over 50 years of manufacturing Volvo trucks in this country and the fact that they carry the ‘Australian Made’ certification.

“We are very proud of our heritage. We started building trucks in 1972 and just delivered the 75,000th truck built here at Wacol. It is our intention to build these electric trucks here in Australia by 2027, and they are perfectly suited for the 35% of the overall freight task that takes place in urban areas.”

The term ‘Remanufacture, Reuse, Recycle and Refurbish’ are high on the Volvo vocabulary list. The two electric trucks on display at the presentation – there were more at BTS - were 93% and 95% recyclable.

Going further, Martin Merrick believes that the Governments approach to electrification via the National Electric Vehicle Strategy leaves much to be desired, as it does little in regard to heavy duty transport.

By way of illustration he pointed out that every ton of lithium has the potential to create 200 batteries. “If used for battery cars that would eliminate 500 tons of CO2 emissions every year. If that same material was used by heavy duty vehicles it would be 900 tons eliminated, so it is clear where we should focus our strategy.”

The Volvo electric range comprises the smaller FL and FE capable of carrying 26 tons with a range of 300 km. The heavy duty FM, FMX and FH are capable of hauling 44 tons – also with a 300 km range. All vehicles are currently available in Australia except the FMX, which is available to order and to bring into the country. right now. That truck, as with the FM and FH will be available as a prime mover.

Gary Bone discussed the importance of driver training. “A light right foot and coasting can make a huge difference in the range of an electric truck,” he said. “Similarly, just by using the right driving techniques with an internal combustion diesel today, a gentle right foot can deliver between 6 and 30% fuel efficiency gains.

“We see driver training as the single most important thing that we can do to improve the fuel economy and therefore the CO2 output of our current diesel fleet, along with using the right truck specification for the job at hand.”

**Plenty of electrical grunt. Don't play with the orange wiring**

In wrapping up the presentation, Roger Alm displays a picture of a little girl with the caption, ‘Caring for Future Generations’.

“This little girl, she doesn’t care about range, charging, infrastructure or technology. She wants to have something different. She wants to have belief in the world in which she is living and we need to support the next generation to give them that.

“To do that we need to work together – suppliers, OEMs, elected people, decision-makers and also customers to make the transformation, because we have a responsibility.

“We need to give the future generation a world that they would like to live in and we should make that happen. So please join us and give the next generation a better world.”