Volvo Trucks has announced sales of its all-electric medium duty truck range have started in Australia.
Volvo says its new FL and FE Electric medium duty range will now provide a zero emissions option in GVM applications ranging from 16,000 to 26,000kg.
The new electric Volvo’s will offer wheelbases range from 3800mm to 5,000mm for the FL as a 4×2 only, while the FE offers wheelbases from 3,900mm to 6,100mm in both 4×2 and 6×2 tag axle variants.
The company says that battery packs are also able to be configured to suit varying applications, with a choice of three or four battery packs on offer. With four batteries on board both the FL and FE Electric offer 265kWh capacity, while the three-battery option offers 200kWh.
The FL Electric uses a single motor driveline putting power to the ground via a two-speed automated transmission and delivering 135kW of continuous power with 425Nm of torque available from standstill.
The FE Electric, boasts an operational range of up to 300 kilometres, depending on battery configuration and application, and uses a 225-kW/850Nm dual-motor driveline, also backed by a two-speed automated transmission.
Volvo says that a factory fitted electric PTO unit is also an option across the entire medium duty electric range, while charge times for both vehicles varies from nine hours (AC) down to two hours (DC) via a Type 2 or CCS2 charge port.
Naturally, as one would expect with Volvo, both models are equipped with a full suite of active safety features.
The first trial units of the Volvo FL Electric arrived in Australia during 2021 and in the hands of customers have proved efficient, effective, and reliable in urban distribution roles.
“When we delivered our first two electric trucks to customers for trials last year, we said this that this was just the start of our Australian electro-mobility journey,” said Volvo Group Australia’s vice president for emerging technology, Paul Illmer.
“That journey is now gathering pace as we offer a viable, safe and productive range of zero emissions medium duty trucks for the first time locally,” Illmer added.
“Customer demand for electric transport options is fast becoming a tsunami, and with the arrival of our medium duty electric range we are now well placed to ride that wave of demand,” Illmer continued.
“The connected eco-system around our electric offering will give customers peace of mind when it comes to making the leap to electric, and our proprietary Electric Range Simulation tool will ensure that the trucks we deliver are capable of the carry out the tasks they are being asked to carry out regardless of weight, weather or traffic conditions,” he said.
“Customer and driver feedback on our first two vehicles in service has been fantastic to date, and we look forward to seeing many more Volvo Electric vehicles quietly plying our urban roads over the next 12 months as we expand our Electric range even further,” he added.
Volvo says all its Electric trucks will be sold with a Gold Service agreement and prospective customers can choose between an outright vehicle purchase or an operating lease.
