Volvo Plans to Sell First Heavy-Duty Electric Trucks in December

Volvo Trucks North America announced Nov. 5 that it will begin sales of the VNR Electric model on Dec. 3.
Volvo Trucks North America announced Nov. 5 that it will begin sales of the VNR Electric model on Dec. 3. (Patrick Daly/Volvo Trucks North America)

[Stay on top of transportation news: Get TTNews in your inbox.]

Volvo Trucks North America announced it will begin selling its Volvo VNR Electric model Dec. 3 as production at its New River Valley manufacturing plant in Dublin, Va., is slated for early 2021.

“Volvo Trucks is committed to lead the commercial transport industry towards more sustainable solutions by advancing electromobility,” VTNA President Peter Voorhoeve said in a release.

He said the Volvo LIGHTS project, which started in 2019 in Southern California in collaboration with 14 other organizations to test the trucks, has validated the viability and reliability of the Volvo VNR Electric in real-world operations.



“We are fully confident in bringing this new technology to the commercial market,” Voorhoeve said.

At the same time, VTNA global parent Volvo Trucks announced it will offer a complete range of electric heavy-duty trucks in Europe in 2021, and in this decade will develop electric vehicles for heavy longhaul operations, including battery-electric and fuel cell-electric trucks with a longer range.

Image

The electric truck fleet Volvo plans to begin selling in Europe in 2021 is seen in a press photo. (Volvo Group)

Volvo Trucks Corp. President Roger Alm said, “By rapidly increasing the number of heavy-duty electric trucks, we want to help our customers and transport buyers to achieve their ambitious sustainability goals. We’re determined to continue driving our industry toward a sustainable future,” with a fossil-free approach that allows fleets to achieve the necessary levels of profitability and productivity.

RELATED: Volvo, Daimler Sign Binding Agreement for Fuel Cell Joint Venture

Volvo Trucks plans to start selling electric trucks powered by hydrogen fuel cells in the second half of this decade, and the objective is to have a fossil-free product range by 2040. — Transport Topics

Want more news? Listen to today's daily briefing: