Volvo North America has revealed it has sealed its largest order so far for electric trucks with global shipping giant Maersk’s America. warehousing and distribution subsidiary Performance Team ordering 16 Volvo heavy duty Class 8 VNR Electric trucks.
The 16 electric Volvos will be deployed in regional transport operations for Performance Team customers in Southern California starting later this year.
Volvo launched its bonneted VNR Electric truck, at the end of last year as both a rigid and in two prime mover variants with a 264 kWh battery capacity of providing a range of up to 240 kilometres.
Volvo also recently delivered several VNR Electric trucks to a New York -based beer and beverage distributor.
“We’re seeing a 30 per cent growth rate in our warehousing and distribution business and our customers are looking for more truck power to meet high volume delivery demands,” said Jason Walker, executive vice president of operations of Performance Team.
“This new order of Volvo VNR Electric trucks will give us firsthand experience on their performance carrying regional loads and environmental benefits. Our findings will help determine next steps in our fleet modernisation and the electric infrastructure necessary for future operations,” Walker added.
The announcement came on the same day that Jason Walker, executive vice president of operations of Performance Team says Volkswagen subsidiary Electrify America and NFI Industries announced plans for America’s largest charging infrastructure project to support heavy-duty electric trucks.
The companies said that 34 HPC chargers for electric trucks will be built by the end of 2023.
NFI Industries also announced plans to convert its entire container transport fleet at its Ontario facility to e-drives. Ten of the 60 vehicles will be Volvo VNR Electrics.
