Production to begin next year on battery electric prime movers
Volvo Trucks North America (VTNA) will start building battery electric vehicle (BEV) prime movers next year in the form of the Volvo VNR Electric model.
The Class 8 trucks, the heaviest class in the US, are now commercially available in North America and aimed primarily at local and regional distribution tasks.
They are available as a 4×2 heavy rigid, 6×2 and 6×4 configurations.
According to VTNA, the 264-kWh lithium-ion batteries – charging at up to 80 per cent within 70 minutes through a 150kW charge rate with a CCS1 or CCS2 connection – have an operating range of up to 240km based on the truck’s configuration.
Power is put at 340kW (455hp), with 5,492 Nm (4,051 lb-ft) peak output torque, with a two-speed automated I-Shift transmission and a top speed of 105km/h.
Between 5 and 15 per cent of brake energy is regenerated back into energy storage system, depending on cycle.
Read about US support for 70 VNR Electric trucks in California, here
https://www.fullyloaded.com.au/product-news/2010/us-grants-to-accelerate-volvo-electric-truck-uptake
“In launching the VNR Electric, we’re answering a very real need from fleet customers across North America – to not just deliver a road-tested, battery-electric truck, but to provide them with solutions for the entire life-cycle of the vehicle,” VTNA president Peter Voorhoeve says.
“Before making the VNR Electric truck available to our customers, we thought through every aspect of electrification so they didn’t have to.
“We have worked alongside our fleet customers to plan beyond the vehicle and have developed an entire support system, ensuring this vehicle meets their needs day-in and day-out.”
The move in a progression from the Volvo LIGHTS (Low Impact Green Heavy Transport Solutions) project, its collaboration with California’s South Coast Air Quality Management District (South Coast AQMD), the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Targeted Air Shed Grant Program (TASGP) and 12 other organisations to develop a blueprint to introduce battery-electric trucks and equipment into the market at scale.
“By collaborating with 14 other organisations in the Volvo LIGHTS project in southern California, we gained crucial experience as we worked together to demonstrate the real-world viability of the VNR Electric truck and its supporting ecosystem,” Voorhoeve says.
“We fully understand the steps needed to successfully deploy and operate electric trucks and can confidently offer the Volvo VNR Electric to our customers across North America.”