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Volvo continues electric battery expansion

The truck company has reached a landmark milestone in its electric vehicle technology

Volvo Trucks is continuing to push its electric battery and renewable technology models into Europe, now operating its very first battery assembly plant in Ghent, Belgium.

The plant will supply ready-to-install batteries for Volvo Trucks’ full electric heavy duty trucks.

In the new plant, cells and modules from Samsung SDI will be assembled into battery packs tailor made for Volvo Trucks’ heavy duty electric range that includes the Volvo FH, FM and FMX.

The series production of these models begins in the second half of 2022.

“This investment shows our strong commitment to electrifying truck transportation,” Volvo Trucks president Roger Alm says.

“By 2030 at least 50 per cent of all trucks we sell globally will be electric and by 2040 we will be a carbon-neutral company.” 

The new plant will produce battery packs, as each pack has a capacity of 90 kWh, as customers can choose to have up to six battery packs in a truck.

The number of batteries in a truck depends on each customer’s specific range and load capacity demands.


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“By integrating the battery assembly process in our production flow, we can shorten lead times for our customers and secure high-performing batteries, while at the same time increasing circularity,” Alm says.

The Volvo batteries have been designed so they can later be remanufactured and reused, as the plant itself in Belgium will be powered by 100 per cent renewable energy.

With Volvo starting production of three heavy duty full electric models this year in Europe, the Belgium plant means Volvo can offer a total of six electric truck models globally with battery packs.

“We started series production of electric trucks already in 2019,” Alm says.

“With the rapid development of charging networks and improvements in battery technology, I am convinced we will see a transformation of the entire truck industry in the very near future.”

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