If you have the right duty cycle and plenty of money, then you can now order an electric Volvo truck. Oh, that’s as long as you are not based in the UK. If you are based in Sweden, Norway, Germany, Switzerland, France or the Netherlands then you can order an electric Volvo FL or FE. Volvo FL Electric has capacity for a GVW (gross vehicle weight) of 16 tonnes, while the GVW of the Volvo FE Electric is 27 tonnes.
Night Time Urban Benefits
Volvo are only targeting these for local, urban operations – thanks to restricted range and the ability to work within noise restricted zones. Until the truck goes into reverse and the beepers sound! Volvo are taking a customer by customer approach to the payloads needed. The greater the range required, the lower the payload that will be available due to the weight of the additional batteries. “Volvo Trucks solutions will be based on individual business needs that consider a number of parameters, such as driving cycles, load capacity and route analysis, to use the battery capacity in the most efficient way possible,” continues Jonas Odermalm.
Volvo’s View on Future Fuels
Volvo Trucks do not believe that battery powered trucks are the only way forward to address the environmental issues. The technology is nowhere near ready as far as long distance transport is concerned. As a medium term solution, Volvo, like Iveco, are focusing on gas as an answer.
“Electric vehicles, charged with electricity from renewable sources, are indeed a powerful step towards more sustainable city distribution. However, there will not be one singular energy source that addresses climate change and all other environmental issues. Different types of transport require different types of driveline solutions,” concludes Jonas Odermalm.
Although gas is often seen as a fossil fuel, it is possible to make reasonable quantities of it through the things that we throw away. Indeed methane is produced automatically whether we like it or not. It comes from both ends of animals and from the rotting food that we produce millions of tonnes of. It is much better for the environment to burn this methane than to vent it into the air where it causes more damage to the ozone layer.
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