Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - June 2023 - 20

EXECUTIVE VIEWPOINTS
When an EV-certified dealer starts talking electric
trucks with a customer, one of the first things they do
is understand how the customer intends to run the
trucks, the applications and the routes.
" We do a route analysis to understand if it's feasible, "
he said. " Can they actually run an electric truck
properly today? Or do they need to wait? We have
said 'no' to some customers. "
In order to say " yes, " Volvo brings in validated infrastructure
partners to explain heavy-duty charging cycles.
Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) calculations, including
discussions of available grants and incentives, are
also vital to getting electric trucks to work for fleets.
" I think customers are often overwhelmed, "
Klevenfeldt said. " So, basically, we hold the customer's
hand throughout the whole process. The customer
knows and feels that we take care of things from the
first discussion. "
Klevenfeldt said it's not vital for all 440 of Volvo
The OEM plans to begin customer testing of fuel-cell trucks in Northern
Europe in 2025.
Scaling electric trucks
Volvo Trucks claims to lead the market for heavy electric trucks after the
first quarter of 2023, both in Europe and in North America. In total, the
OEM has sold nearly 5,000 electric trucks in about 40 countries, and it's
targeting new markets in Asia, Latin America and Africa for its electric
product range.
The company says that during the first quarter of 2023, a total of 600
electric trucks weighing 16 tons or more were registered in Europe - more
than four times the 134 registrations in the same period in 2022. Volvo
Trucks claims to have the largest market share at 50%; its market share for
the full year in 2022 was 32%. The company says it's the leader in North
America as well, with nearly half of the heavy electric-truck market.
Order intake is increasing for Volvo Trucks. During the first quarter of
2023, a total of 486 electric trucks were ordered, an increase of 141% compared
to the same period in 2022. The northern part of Europe, including
the Netherlands, Germany, Norway and Sweden, account for most of these
orders, the company said.
Volvo Trucks has six electric-truck models in series production. It
launched its first electric truck in 2019 - the FL Electric - and last year
added three 44-ton heavy-duty trucks to its electric lineup: the Volvo FH,
the FM and the FMX. The other two models are the FE Electric and the
VNR Electric, which began production in 2021 for the U.S. and Canada. A
second-generation VNR Electric with more battery capacity (565 kWh)
and range (275 miles/443 km) was introduced in 2022.
The company is scaling up production of electric trucks at three plants:
in Gothenburg, Sweden; Blainville, France; and New River Valley in Dublin,
Virginia. Production is expected to start at Volvo's largest factory in Ghent,
Belgium, in the third quarter of 2023.
Volvo Trucks is aiming for 50% of global sales of new trucks to be battery-
or fuel-cell-electric in 2030, and 100% to be net-zero emission by
2040. Targets for Europe and North America are even more aggressive. In
Europe, for example, the goal is around 70% for all new trucks sold in 2030.
Ryan Gehm
Trucks' " touch points " (storefronts and dealerships)
in North America to be EV-certified this year. That's
the long-term plan, but for now, investing the time
and money only makes sense where the trucks are
going to be used, which is happening in more and
more places.
" There is a pull, " he said. " We have not had to force
any dealers to do this. Some have customers coming
in saying they want to sign up for electric trucks.
Other dealers want to be prepared. It's their brand,
and they want to say, 'We are a forward-thinking dealership
that's ready to help our customers move on to
the next move into electromobility.' "
Up next, hydrogen ICE powertrains?
The two trucks Volvo displayed at its booth at the ACT
Expo - one electric, one autonomous - were there to
represent the spectrum of what Volvo offers, but
they've both been seen before. Same with the hydrogen
fuel-cell stack and e-axle on display.
Volvo has set a global target that at least half of all
the trucks it sells in 2030 will be battery- or fuel-cellelectric,
which leaves plenty of diesel ICE trucks in the
mix. Volvo also is investigating the new-old technology
of burning hydrogen in an internal-combustion
engine. Lots of testing still needs to be done,
Klevenfeldt said, but hydrogen ICE might be the right
solution in some areas.
" The maturity of the market is rather diverse when
it comes to how much customers can invest in technology, "
he said. " [Hydrogen ICE] is kind of just to
make sure that we have a solution which can fit the
local or regional needs, where this might actually be
a viable solution. It's a new step that we are taking
rather seriously. "
20 June 2023
TRUCK & OFF-HIGHWAY ENGINEERING
SAE/SEBASTIAN BLANCO
Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - June 2023

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