
Electric truck from Sweden celebrates its premiere
The FL Electric weighs 16 tons. Its motor is designed for a maximum output of 185 kW at 130 kW continuous output. The maximum torque of 425 Nm is transmitted to the rear axle via a two-speed gearbox and a PTO shaft. The truck can be equipped with two to six Li-ion batteries for a maximum range of 300 km and can be charged either via the 22 kW AC mains or with up to 150 kW using the CCS/Combo2 standard DC charging system. The charging process takes one to two hours for quick charging, and up to ten hours for night charging from the AC mains.
Thanks to cleaner air and less noise in the city, residential construction and infrastructure measures can be planned more freely than is currently the case. Electrically powered trucks that do not emit exhaust emissions are suitable for indoor terminals and environmental zones. Thanks to their low noise level, they can do more work at night and thus reduce the amount of traffic during the day. As part of the project “Off Peak City Distribution”, the effects of night-time goods traffic on Stockholm’s city centre were examined. Since the trucks did not have to run during rush hours, they only needed a third of the daytime time to complete their orders.
“To make the transition safe and smooth, we will offer integrated solutions based on the specific needs of each customer in terms of travel profiles, payloads, availability, range and other parameters. Such solutions can cover many aspects – from route analysis and battery optimization to service and financing. Volvo Trucks works closely with various charging station suppliers. As always, the goal is to help customers achieve maximum mobility and productivity,” says Jonas Odermalm, who is responsible for Volvo Trucks’ product strategy for the Volvo FL and Volvo FE.

This motor drives Volvo Truck’s first series all-electric truck.
“We know from experience how important it is that cities, energy suppliers and vehicle manufacturers pull together to ensure large-scale electrification. Attractive incentives, common standards and a long-term strategy for urban planning and the expansion of the charging infrastructure can significantly accelerate the process,” explains Jonas Odermalm.
Volvo Trucks believes that the electrification of the transport sector must be seen in its entirety so that the permanent challenges of power generation and battery production, etc. can be met.
“For example, to ensure that the raw materials for batteries are responsibly extracted, the Volvo Group works with the’Drive Sustainably’ network, which monitors this aspect. The Volvo Group is also involved in various projects in which batteries from electrically powered commercial vehicles are reused as energy storage devices. Not all questions concerning the handling of batteries have yet been solved, but we are working both internally and together with other actors to drive development forward and find the necessary solutions,” says Jonas Odermalm.
The first Volvo FL Electric trucks are now being put into service by customers in Gothenburg, the home of Volvo Trucks.
According to Volvo, there is considerable interest in electric trucks on the market. Many prospective buyers have enquired about the possibilities the new technology opens up and what this means for their businesses. Competitor Daimler also recognized this and introduced a near-production electric truck two years ago, which can be transferred to series production in a short time if required. A smaller e-truck, developed in cooperation with Mitsubishi Fuso, already entered production in late 2017.
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