Volvo Trucks launches electric range in SA

Volvo Trucks SA has launched its electric truck range locally, offering its most popular extra heavy vehicles in the line-up: Volvo FH, Volvo FM, and Volvo FMX.

They will be available in truck tractor or rigid configurations, from 4X2 to 8X4, giving the brand an extensive portfolio of zero exhaust-emission trucks.

“Volvo Trucks has been committed to social, environmental, and economic responsibility since the start of our company,” said Waldemar Christensen, MD of Volvo Trucks SA. “Now, protecting the environment is the biggest challenge we face.”

The Swedish truck manufacturer has sold almost 5,000 electric vehicles since 2019 in about 40 countries. It plans to reduce CO² emissions by 50% by 2030 and be completely fossil-free by 2050.

Christensen said the company is encouraged by the local interest in its electric trucks.

“The size of the company is largely irrelevant. Transporters can see that electric drivelines are going to play a bigger role ... and many want to get early exposure on how the technology works in real operations, so they are positioned well for the shift,” he said.

“There is also no single silver bullet transport solution that can address all the fleet owner's requirements. Therefore, Volvo Trucks offers gas-fuelled trucks, electric trucks, and fuel-cell trucks. We believe electrification will happen segment by segment and region by region.”

Locally, the first electric FM 4X2 Tractor was presented to KDG Logistics this week. The company will use the vehicle move passenger vehicles between factories/storage facilities and the Durban Port.

Abdool Kamdar, KDG Logistics’ manager of decarbonisation and net zero, said the company wanted to gain experience, knowledge and operational miles in the first generation of these units to fully understand and take advantage of efficiencies as the technology develops.

Eric Parry, Volvo Trucks SA’s sustainable solutions manager, said the vehicles have been designed to handle any major commercial operation.

“Our trucks are designed to handle high temperature ranges and a variety of operational conditions. With a driveline that has 490kW or power and 2,400Nm of torque, it will not struggle on the hills,” he said.

Depending on the model, two or three electric motors are combined with an I-Shift gearbox adapted for electromobility. The power of up to 490kW is handled by a traction control system that can manage slippery surfaces, with different drive modes available.

The range of Volvo electric trucks is up to 300km, enough for most city and regional applications. However, they can cover up to 500km if a top-up charge is added.

The vehicles recharge in about nine hours on an AC charger and in two hours on a 250kW DC fast charger.

The extra heavy electric trucks will initially be offered with five or six battery packs. Each battery stores 90kWh and weighs about 500kg.

Volvo says its electric trucks are as flexible as their diesel equivalents,  and the lack of noise and emissions makes them well suited for night-time assignments.

At Volvo Trucks staff are trained in the new technologies and equipment needed to support customers with electric vehicles, which require servicing once a year. The company has installed 120kW DC fast chargers at each of its main dealerships, primarily as a workshop tool, but also to support demo vehicles.

Volvo Trucks uses specialised simulation tools to model a customers’ fleet operations and advises them on whether the proposed route or application is feasible.

“We also use this to advise on ideal charging locations, route planning, traffic information, topography and more,” Parry said. “The question on everybody’s minds is a lack of a consistent supply of electricity and how operators can work around this challenge to efficiently operate electric trucks. We believe it is all down to planning,” he added.

“Operators will have the necessary tools to plan their charging options according to their workload and routes, even though there is load-shedding. In addition, most of the first movers already have some sort of off-grid power solution and in a lot of cases, they can be upgraded to supplement grid charging.”

Parry said the electric trucks are mostly aimed at regional distribution customers, whose vehicles return to a home base daily, so public charging is not as important for these operations.

Christensen believes SA will be low-volume market initially.

“We need to get the necessary support from the government to help customers transition to electromobility, both in a reduction in import duties and technical allowances for carrying more weight. Until that happens, we are not going to see mass adoption,” said Christensen.

“Ultimately, we hope to assemble electric trucks locally at our Durban plant but this will be heavily influenced by the regulatory environment.”