Volvo Trucks says it is kicking off commercial sales of its Volvo FL and Volvo FE electric trucks in selected European markets.
“Global urbanization requires urban logistics and truck transport with zero emissions and less noise with increasing urgency,” says Jonas Odermalm, vice president for Volvo Trucks’ electromobility product line. “With the Volvo FL Electric and Volvo FE Electric, we are able to meet both the strong environmental demands as well as the high commercial requirements of our customers. Volvo Trucks’ solutions will be based on individual business needs that consider a number of parameters, such as driving cycles, load capacity and route analysis, to use the battery capacity in the most efficient way possible.”
Volvo FL Electric and Volvo FE Electric were developed in close collaboration with selected customers operating in Gothenburg, Sweden. Feedback has been very positive, and the drivers involved in the collaboration are particularly impressed by the responsive driveline, seamless acceleration and how quiet the trucks are.
“While customer feedback has been positive,” says Odermalm, “we do recognize that charging infrastructure is still under development in most cities, and we are working alongside both public and private partners to agree on a long-term strategy for the expansion of charging infrastructure. But it’s clear that the pace of development of charging infrastructure needs to increase.”
The Volvo FL Electric and Volvo FE Electric trucks have been developed for distribution, refuse handling and other urban transport applications. The Volvo FL Electric has capacity for a gross vehicle weight of 16 tonnes, while the GVW of the Volvo FE Electric is 27 tonnes.
Sales will start in Sweden, Norway, Germany, Switzerland, France and the Netherlands, with serial production planned for March 2020.
