Volvo Trucks develops fully-electric model

Swedish vehicle manufacturer Volvo Trucks has announced that it will bring a new model fully-electric truck in the European market from next year.

The FL Electric will be predominantly targeted at urban logistics and waste management companies — specifically those operating in areas where emissions restrictions are in place, the company has said.

Volvo’s FL Electric model will be available to the European market from 2019

The 16-tonne vehicle will have a range of up to 300 km, the company has claimed, with a charging time of around two hours on a fast charge, or up to 10 hours on a slower charge.

The first two Volvo FL Electric trucks will be operated by refuse collection and recycling company Renova and haulage firm TGM in Gothenburg, Sweden from 2019.

Commenting on the launch of the new vehicle, Claes Nilsson, President of Volvo Trucks, said: “We’re immensely proud to present the first in a range of fully electrically-powered Volvo trucks ready for regular traffic. With this model we are making it possible for cities that aim for sustainable urban development to benefit from the advantages of electrified truck transports.”

Volvo Group has some experience in the electric vehicles market through the Volvo Buses brand, which has a number of fully electric models in operation. The company claims that the propulsion and energy storage technology in the truck has been ‘thoroughly tried and tested’.

Charging

Jonas Odermalm, head of product strategy Volvo FL and Volvo FE at Volvo Trucks, added: “In order to make the transition secure and smooth, we will offer holistic solutions based on each customer’s individual needs regarding driving cycles, load capacity, uptime, range and other parameters. Such a solution may encompass everything from route analysis and battery optimisation to servicing and financing. Volvo Trucks works closely with several suppliers of charging equipment. The aim as always is to offer customers high uptime and productivity.

“From experience we know how important it is that cities, energy suppliers and vehicle manufacturers cooperate in order for large-scale electrification to become a reality. With attractive incentives, agreed standards and a long-term strategy for urban planning and expansion of the charging infrastructure, the process can go much faster.”

Volvo has claimed that there is ‘considerable market interest’ in electric trucks, with a number of new models coming to market in recent months.

Among the most recent entrants to the market is the Fuso Mitsubishi eCanter 7.5 tonne truck — which was launched in the UK last month. Companies including DPD, Wincanton and Hovis are among the first to trial the eCanter in the UK (see airqualitynews.com story).