Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - June 2023 - 18
EXECUTIVE VIEWPOINTS
Volvo Trucks enters
electrification's next phase
With electric trucks already available, the OEM focuses on refining service and
maintenance, expanding EV-certified dealerships and scaling production.
by Sebastian Blanco
In North America,
nearly half of all heavy
electric trucks registered in
2022 reportedly were Volvo trucks.
T
here were plenty of flashy news announcements
about new trucks and future mobility
technologies at the 2023 ACT Expo in Anaheim,
California. Then there was Volvo Trucks.
Volvo's news at the show was not the stuff of newspaper
front pages. Instead, Volvo Trucks announced
updates to its EV-certified dealer network and a new
" white glove " service option for North America. Even
the trucks on display were there to attract attention
and not to showcase any new technology. But that's
exactly where the company wants to be right now.
" We have made so much news in the last few
years, we needed to take the news and put it into
operation, " said Fredrik Klevenfeldt, director of marketing
communications for Volvo Trucks North
America. " We cannot just bring news all the time.
We need to make sure that what we have introduced
is solidly working and accepted. "
Intelligent maintenance
Start with the new Volvo Blue " intelligent maintenance "
offering for North America, a localized version
of the three tiers of service contracts (Blue,
Silver, Gold) that Volvo Trucks has for years offered
18 June 2023
in Europe. The North American market
has not been all that receptive to
bundled service deals, Klevenfeldt
said, because customers traditionally
have done maintenance and repairs at
their own shops or with the help of a
third party.
That attitude is changing with the
Fredrik Klevenfeldt, director of
marketing communications
for VTNA.
" Can they actually
run an electric truck
properly today?
Or do they need
to wait? We have
said 'no' to some
customers. "
shift to electric trucks and the reality
that some fleets are having problems
finding and keeping qualified mechanics
- and making sure they have
the correct tools, parts and equipment
on hand. Every Volvo VNR
Electric tractor sold in North America
comes with a Volvo Gold plan, a more
comprehensive, bumper-to-bumper
contract that covers everything from
the batteries to routine maintenance.
Volvo now is offering Blue contracts
for its diesel trucks, which also are becoming
more complicated and connected.
" We're looking at all the connectivity
features that our trucks have, "
Klevenfeldt said, calling them iPhones
TRUCK & OFF-HIGHWAY ENGINEERING
FROM TOP: SAE/SEBASTIAN BLANCO; VOLVO TRUCKS
Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - June 2023
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - June 2023
Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - June 2023 - Intro
Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - June 2023 - Sponsor
Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - June 2023 - CoverA
Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - June 2023 - CoverB
Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - June 2023 - Cover1
Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - June 2023 - Cover2
Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - June 2023 - 1
Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - June 2023 - 2
Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - June 2023 - 3
Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - June 2023 - 4
Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - June 2023 - 5
Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - June 2023 - 6
Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - June 2023 - 7
Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - June 2023 - 8
Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - June 2023 - 9
Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - June 2023 - 10
Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - June 2023 - 11
Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - June 2023 - 12
Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - June 2023 - 13
Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - June 2023 - 14
Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - June 2023 - 15
Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - June 2023 - 16
Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - June 2023 - 17
Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - June 2023 - 18
Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - June 2023 - 19
Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - June 2023 - 20
Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - June 2023 - 21
Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - June 2023 - 22
Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - June 2023 - 23
Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - June 2023 - 24
Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - June 2023 - 25
Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - June 2023 - 26
Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - June 2023 - 27
Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - June 2023 - 28
Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - June 2023 - 29
Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - June 2023 - 30
Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - June 2023 - 31
Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - June 2023 - 32
Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - June 2023 - 33
Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - June 2023 - 34
Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - June 2023 - 35
Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - June 2023 - 36
Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - June 2023 - 37
Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - June 2023 - 38
Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - June 2023 - 39
Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - June 2023 - 40
Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - June 2023 - 41
Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - June 2023 - 42
Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - June 2023 - 43
Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - June 2023 - 44
Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - June 2023 - 45
Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - June 2023 - 46
Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - June 2023 - 47
Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - June 2023 - 48
Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - June 2023 - 49
Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - June 2023 - 50
Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - June 2023 - 51
Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - June 2023 - 52
Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - June 2023 - 53
Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - June 2023 - 54
Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - June 2023 - 55
Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - June 2023 - 56
Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - June 2023 - 57
Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - June 2023 - 58
Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - June 2023 - Cover3
Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - June 2023 - Cover4
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