What sets a battery electric truck apart from the rest of the range? How far can they be driven, and what sectors do they excel in? In this section of our Q&A, we run through what makes electric trucks – and the services that support them – unique.
Electromobility refers to vehicles – including cars, buses, trains and trucks – that are fully or partly powered by electricity, have a means of storing energy on board and are usually supplied with electricity via the grid. The main type of heavy truck with an electric driveline is the BEV (battery electric vehicle), but there are also electric vehicles fuelled by hydrogen called fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs). Electromobility also includes the charging infrastructure and support services for range and route planning and other functions.
A battery electric vehicle (BEV) uses energy stored in batteries charged with electricity from the grid. An electric vehicle using fuel cell technology (FCEV) is fuelled with hydrogen which is converted to electricity while the vehicle is being driven. The fuel cell electric trucks are electric, like battery electric trucks, with the difference that most of the energy in a FCEV is stored as hydrogen, with some support from batteries. Volvo Trucks is working with both technologies. While battery electric trucks can be purchased today, fuel cell electric trucks will be available for commercial use in the second half of this decade.
We believe that by 2030 more than 50% of all new Volvo trucks sold will be electric, using either battery or fuel cell technology.
Volvo currently offers the industry's broadest product line-up with eight models in series production, catering to a very wide variety of transports in and between cities. Models available are Volvo FH, Volvo FM, Volvo FMX, Volvo FE and Volvo FL. In 2023, serial production started on a new range of rigid trucks to complement the existing line-up.
Volvo’s electric trucks meet the same high crash safety standards as our other trucks and offer the same safety systems as the diesel models. On top of that, specific crash scenarios have been added for the electric trucks to verify the crashworthiness of the battery installation and other electric components. Furthermore, we have made every effort to design the 600-volt electric system in the truck to be safe when the truck is in use and during servicing.
The energy status of the battery can be tracked on the dashboard and remotely at all times. If it does approach zero, the driver is notified and the available power is reduced, which will influence drivability.
The maintenance intervals are roughly the same, but servicing is different than servicing a traditional driveline. The consumption of spare parts depends on the transport application, the region where the truck is in operation, and many other factors. The trucks are connected, and can report on the condition of different components, which means that servicing and maintenance can be organised to increase their uptime.
All of the dealers that sell electric trucks are ready to take full responsibility for the technical systems and functions of the trucks. Many of the service workshops already have extensive experience of servicing electric buses.
The performance curve of electric trucks is different from that of trucks with combustion engines. For example, the power kicks in as soon as you put your foot on the accelerator. The fact that electric trucks use fewer gears also makes for a different driving experience.
Electric trucks produce less vibration and make less noise, which leads to a comfortable and relaxing driving experience.
Please contact your local Volvo dealer and register your interest.
We started series production of fully electric trucks for customers in 2019, but we began selling hybrid trucks that run on a combination of electricity and other fuels well before that. Other parts of the Volvo Group, in particular Volvo Buses, have extensive experience of electric vehicles. Volvo delivered the first all-electric bus in 2016 and have up until now delivered more than 5,000 electric buses worldwide.
Our electric trucks share a platform with our other drivelines and meet the same high standards of quality. Volvo’s highly trained staff will help customers to configure their trucks to meet their specific requirements and will provide expert support while the truck is in operation. The batteries and the overall condition of the trucks are constantly monitored to allow any measures that need to be taken during the next service visit to be identified in good time. To secure a high daily performance of the batteries, a technological service called Ready to Run is available. It prepares the truck for a productive workday, based on external temperatures. When needed, it pre-heats the batteries, or if operating in very warm weather, it cools them. The optimal temperature for the batteries is around +25°C.
All our existing payment solutions will be available for our electric vehicles: cash payment and leasing. These will be adapted to the needs of each individual customer.
Yes, series production started in 2019 and deliveries are being made to customers worldwide.
Please contact your local Volvo Trucks representative for more information.
Yes, we will continue to offer a range of different drivelines and will suggest the most suitable solution for each individual customer and geographic location. We will supply a mix of increasingly fuel-efficient combustion engine trucks, gas-powered trucks and electric trucks.
We offer our electric trucks with Gold Service contracts, which means that the cost of maintenance will be included in the total cost of ownership. We will make sure that the total cost of ownership is competitive.
This depends on the application and vehicle specification. Please contact your Volvo product expert for more information.