Volvo to launch fully-electric heavy duty trucks

Hauliers will be able to buy fully electric heavy duty trucks from Volvo next year, as the manufacturer ramps up its move towards fossil-free transport.

Volvo Trucks is offering a complete heavy-duty range with electric drivelines, with tests now being undertaken of its FH, FM and FMX models, for use in regional transport and urban construction operations.

Depending on the battery configuration, the truck maker said the range could be up to 300km.

Roger Alm, Volvo Trucks president, said: “By rapidly increasing the number of heavy-duty electric trucks, we want to help our customers and transport buyers to achieve their ambitious sustainability goals.

“We’re determined to continue driving our industry towards a sustainable future.”

The manufacturer said electric vehicles for demanding and long-haul operations will follow in this decade and these will be battery-electric and fuel cell electric with a longer range.

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Electric trucks powered by hydrogen fuel cells will start being sold in the second half of the decade.

Volvo Trucks said its objective was for its entire product range to be fossil-free by 2040: “To reduce the impact of transport on the climate, we need to make a swift transition from fossil fuels to alternatives such as electricity,” explained Alm.

“But the conditions for making this shift, and consequently the pace of the transition, vary dramatically across different hauliers and markets, depending on many variables such as financial incentives, access to charging infrastructure and type of transport operations.”

Alm said Volvo Trucks’ chassis is designed to be independent of the driveline used and customers could choose to buy several Volvo trucks of the same model, with the only difference being some were electric and others were powered by conventional fuels.

“Our primary task is to ease the transition to electrified vehicles,” he added.

“We’re doing this by offering holistic solutions that include route planning, correctly specified vehicles, charging equipment, financing and services.”

Volvo Trucks began manufacturing the Volvo FL Electric and Volvo FE Electric last year.

These are intended for use in city distribution and refuse operations.

In North America, sales of the Volvo VNR Electric start on 3 December.