Well, it’s really happening. The truck businesses are gearing up to roll out electric trucks as the emissions deadlines move ever closer. Starting with just one electric truck on the roads, expect to see reports of record percentage growth in the electric truck market in the near future.
In a demonstration of how serious the company is about replacing diesel truck sales with electric trucks, Volvo Trucks UK & Ireland has taken on its first Head of e-Mobility, just weeks after opening the order books for its all-new Volvo FH, FM and FMX Electric heavy-duty trucks.
Amy Stokes joins the company after 18 months as Group Energy Market Manager at Volkswagen Group UK, where she was responsible for the development of new energy market opportunities to support the uptake of electric vehicles.
Prior to entering the automotive industry, she spent more than 12 years at E.ON, enrolling on a graduate scheme after completing a PhD in Chemistry at the University of Warwick. Her first assignments at E.ON focused on emissions control projects for power stations, before she shifted her focus to commercialising new energy technologies within E.ON’s European markets. Her final position with the company was as Residential Electric Vehicle Charging Business Lead; which centred around building a sustainable, customer-focussed residential charging business in the UK.
Commenting on her decision to move into the truck market, she says: “I love everything to do with e-mobility and the opportunity to join Volvo Trucks was one I simply couldn’t turn down. The management team shared their vision with me for transitioning half of all sales to electric product by 2030 and I knew immediately this was something I wanted to be part of.
“We have already got one Volvo FL Electric operating in London with DHL Supply Chain, and sales will only grow in one direction from here. It’s going to be hugely exciting.”
Highlighting the opportunities ahead, she adds: “When people talk about electric trucks, a lot of the challenges we need to overcome are simply around doing things differently – and it’s not necessarily worse. In fact, in so many areas electric trucks offer huge advantages, for the driver, the operator, other road users and of course the environment. My focus is going to be on taking customers by the hand and supporting them on this journey.”
Stokes’ remit covers the whole of Volvo Trucks’ electric portfolio in the UK and Ireland, which will see three new heavy-duty electric trucks enter production in 2022. These will join the existing Volvo FL and FE Electric trucks which are already available – with the team set to take delivery of their first dedicated Volvo FL Electric demonstrator for the UK market this summer.
She will be based at the company’s head office in Warwick, reporting directly to Managing Director Christian Coolsaet.