IAA 2018: Volvo Trucks Makes Entry into Electromobility Solutions
In the early hours of Wednesday at the IAA 2018, President of Volvo Trucks, Claes Nilsson got on stage to elucidate the demand of Volvo Trucks in the European market and its foray into electromobility systems. “The number of trucks in the German market has actually increased by 40% over the last five years, and we have a total of over 400,000 Volvo trucks in the European market. I can assure you that we are making heavy investments in our service network to meet this need,” he said.
Incidentally, the company is celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Volvo FH model this year, with it showcasing a Volvo FH 25th year special edition in commemoration. Nilsson highlighted the growing importance of trucks powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG) in the market, as it remains to be the best alternative to diesel today. The gas-powered Volvo FH series emits 20% lesser CO2 than a regular Volvo FH, which leads to significantly lower carbon footprints, but also provides the same performance and operating range as the latter.
“With rapid advancements in electromobility, automation, and connectivity, the boundaries of what can be achieved are shifting continuously. This year, we have launched our first all-electric trucks, the Volvo FE and FL Electric, and we will start to sell them in Europe next year,” said Nilsson.
The Volvo FL and FE Electric vehicles are designed to take up to 27 tonnes, and can drive nearly 125 miles on a single charge. The FE Electric has two motors that come with a maximum power of 370 kW, with a Volvo two-speed transmission. The energy storage is through lithium-ion batteries, which can hold 200-300 kWh. The technology is shared with Volvo’s line of electric buses, where more than 4,000 units have been sold to date. Volvo Trucks offers driver training, route analysis, maintenance, and financing for its customers, helping them integrate with the smart transport solution.
The company believes that these electric variants would pave the way for more sustainable freight movement within urban boundaries. For example, municipal work like waste removal could be carried out in the night, as electric trucks are silent and also are devoid of carbon emissions.
"Electromobility is in line with our long-term commitment to sustainable urban development and zero emissions," said Nilsson. "It opens the door to new forms of cooperation with cities having a target to improve air quality, reduce traffic noise, and cut congestion during peak hours since commercial operations can instead be carried out quietly and without tail-pipe exhaust emissions early in the morning or late at night."
Mikael Karlsson, the VP Autonomous Solutions at Volvo Trucks chipped in, explaining the company’s new innovation Vera - an autonomous electric truck. “This is our solution for fully autonomous, electric, and connected transport that will complement our current transport solutions. It will make transport safer, cleaner, and more efficient. Vera is intended for repetitive goods transport with relatively high goods volumes over short distances,” he said.
Karlsson hoped that Vera could help tackle the declining truck driver population, as a cluster of Vera trucks could effectively run operations within logistics hubs - a small step towards complete freight movement automation.
“Over the next coming years, we will see a rapid increase of electrifying commercial vehicles, primarily in cities were full electric trucks can not only improve air and noise quality, but also increase transport efficiency. A lot of deliveries can be shifted to off-peak hours, and this will help local daytime traffic to get better and will reduce a lot of accidents,” said Jonas Odermalm, VP Product Line at Volvo Trucks. “With superb driveability and significantly reduced noise, vibrations, and exhaust gases, they will make truck driving an even more attractive and enjoyable experience.” (www.chinatrucks.com)
Views:0
- Volvo Gets Order for 1,500 Volvo FH Aero Trucks from an Italian Logistics Compan 2024-07-23
- Volvo Trucks Will Be at the IAA Transportation 2024 Expo 2024-07-15
- Volvo Expands Its Range of Biodiesel-powered Trucks 2024-05-28
- Volvo and Daimler Truck to Form Software Joint Venture 2024-05-23
- World's First: Volvo Built Electric Trucks with Fossil-Free Steel 2022-11-11
- Volvo to Supply 20 Heavy-duty Electric Trucks to Amazon 2022-10-10
- Volvo Trucks Starts Series Production of Heavy Electric Trucks 2022-09-15
- Volvo Trucks Launches FH with I-Save in China 2022-04-29
- Volvo FH with I-Save to be Launched in China, Cutting Fuel Cost by 10% 2022-04-22
- Volvo, Daimler And Traton Agree On JV Charging Network for Europe 2021-12-27
Submit Your Requirements, We Are Always At Your Service.
- Jiefang Partners with FCTS to Develop Hydrogen-Powered Car Transport Vehicles
- Farizon Auto Sets Roadmap for Global Expansion
- JMC Assembles Kaiyun Euro 5 Models in Vietnam
- SuperPanther Teams up with DHL for Sustainable Logistics
- SuperPanther Partners with Steyr Automotive to Launch Electric Heavy-Duty Trucks
- JAC Showcases T9 EV Pickup at 2024 EVA Frankfurt Electric Vehicle Expo
- Zoomlion Reports Record Overseas Revenue Growth for H1, 2024
- Madagascar President Rajoelina Visits Foton Motor
- European Premiere for Kia PBV at IAA Hannover 2024
- SAIC Maxus RV Debuts at Düsseldorf Caravan Show in Germany
- Heavy Truck Sales Reach 59,000 Units in July in China
- Tractor Sales in H1, 2024 Reached 162,100 Units, Up 4%
- China's Truck Export Reaches 351,076 Units in H1 2024
- XCMG Dominates 2024 with Record Sales in New Energy Heavy Trucks
- Mid-Year Pickup Market Report: JAC Exports Up 13%, JMC Exceed 36,000 Units
- Truck Exports in May 2024: China Exported Close to 65,000 Trucks
- Exports of Pickups Reached 22,892 Units in May
- Exports Surge by 157%! DFAC Exports 9,628 Vehicles from January to May
- China's Heavy Truck Exports Rising 58% YOY to 276,000 Units in 2023
- China Exported 507,000 Trucks from Jan.-Sept., Up 21% YoY