There is no doubt truck making giant, Volvo is embracing the move to zero emission trucks and new data from the company regarding the take up of its electric powered heavy vehicles tends to back this perception up.
According to new monitoring data from Volvo, its electric trucks have logged more than 80 million kilometres , the equivalent or 2,000 laps around the world since it launched its first electric models in 2019.
The company says that covering the same distance with equivalent diesel-powered trucks would have resulted in more than 25 million litres of diesel being consumed and 62,000 tonnes of tailpipe carbon dioxide emissions being belched into the atmosphere..
“I am happy to see how transport companies are embracing the benefits with electric trucks in daily operations,” Roger Alm, president of Volvo Trucks said.
“The transport sector represents seven per cent of global carbon emissions and battery-electric trucks are an important tool to reduce the climate footprint. Thanks to many early adopters we can already now see the huge potential with this technology,” he said.
Volvo said its global deliveries of electric trucks increased by 256 per cent to a total of 1,977 trucks in 2023 and the company says it sees continued interest from customers in 2024.
In Europe, the company claims that more than half of all electric truck customers chose a Volvo during the first quarter of this year, with Volvo’s share of the electric truck segment sitting at 56 per cent.
In the United States, Volvo represented 44 per cent of all electric trucks sold according to the company.
The company says it has delivered more than 3,500 electric trucks to customers in 45 countries on six continents so far.
Volvo says it further expanded its electric truck presence in 2023, delivering its first heavy-duty electric trucks to South America, delivering electric trucks to customers in Brazil, Chile and Uruguay, while the Swedish giant also claims it became the first truck maker to deliver battery-electric heavy trucks in Morocco, South Korea and Malaysia.
“Not only transport companies but also buyers of transport- and logistic services are signing up to SBTi – Science Based Target initiative – and are starting to demand sustainable transport solutions from their providers. This is yet another driver of the shift to electric trucks,” Alm said.
Volvo claims its electric trucks meet the needs in a wide range of applications, from urban distribution and waste management to regional haul and construction.
The company said that over the five years of its move to electrification, it has also built expertise in optimising the use of installed energy, charging and servicing of electric trucks.
Volvo has gradually expanded its electric offering which now includes eight fully electric trucks including the FL Electric, FE Electric, FM Electric, FM Low Entry, FMX Electric, FH Electric, FH Aero Electric and VNR Electric.
