Sweden’s AB Volvo receives its first largest commercial order for electric trucks from the shipping firm DFDS. These 100 electric trucks are only a first, as their deliveries are yet to start by late-2022. Volvo’s FM electric trucks are to be built with a range of 100km, which can be used for short or long ranges in Europe.
In 2019, Volvo started the serial production of electric trucks. Targeted that half of its global truck deliveries will be electric by 2030. Volvo Trucks President Roger Alm said in a statement, “We are pleased to see that growing interest among our customers is starting to be reflected in firm orders,”
While Volvo has various options in its heavy-duty electric trucks production. Volvo FM is for heavy-duty long-haul operators. Volvo along with Volkswagen are two European automakers to have rigorous plans which align with EU’s carbon emission goals. This green shift in the automotive sector generates a quarter of global carbon emissions. So this is considered a crucial aspect to align with global climate goals. Last year as the electric truck production was started, Volvo mentioned many environmental benefits for opting to produce heavy-duty electric trucks.
Stated as “We see great potential for heavy-duty electric trucks for regional transport and construction in the longer term. With our concept trucks, we aim to explore and demonstrate different solutions for the future while evaluating the level of interest in the market and in society. To increase demand for electrified trucks, the charging infrastructure needs to be rapidly expanded, while stronger financial incentives must be created for hauliers who act as pioneers by choosing new vehicles with a lower environmental and climate footprint,”
Benefits of electric trucks
Low noise levels, no exhaust emissions ensure that workers and other people involved are in a better environment throughout their working hours. This, in turn, will have a great benefit for improving the air quality in cities, as transportation through trucks happens on a regular basis, hourly or daily.
In last year’s announcement, Volov mentioned that various factors will be involved in the speed at which electrification could be implemented. While charging infrastructure is much needed, there are many financial incentives to consider, and having options like longer contracts, etc.
In recent times, Volvo also announced full speed ahead in the autonomous vehicle segment. Their autonomous transport solutions also focus on electric trucks. Where the development work is being done along with AI and AV computing platforms partner NVIDIA.
