Volvo Highlights Assist for Truck Fleet Electrification – Gear
Volvo Vans North America held its 2022 Electromobility Summit at its New River Valley truck plant in Pulaski, Virginia, in late September.
Picture: Jack Roberts
Volvo Vans North America staked out an early management place within the race to develop Class 8 electrical vehicles and produce them to market. Now the corporate is shifting past merely promoting vehicles. It’s providing a solutions-based strategy to buying, working and servicing electrical vehicles to assist fleets perceive and deploy this new know-how successfully.
At a day-long press occasion at Volvo’s New River Valley plant, which manufactures the corporate’s North American product line, Volvo outlined a sequence of gross sales, service and assist packages designed to the touch on each facet of electrical truck possession. These new companies start lengthy earlier than the vehicles are even bought, with assist in coping with authorities incentives, working with native energy firms and municipalities to nail down charging infrastructure, buy and lease choices, a complete upkeep program, and even assist in acquiring specialised insurance coverage for electrical vehicles.
Searching for a Smooth Touchdown for Trucking
With the top of 2022 quick approaching, Peter Voorhoeve, president and CEO of Volvo Vans North America, opened the day by wanting over the 12 months in overview and providing some ideas as to the state of the business in 2023.
Citing a number of financial components, Voorhoeve stated he thought a recession was probably within the coming 14 months, however he famous that wasn’t essentially a nasty factor.
“The economic system must decelerate a bit,” he stated. “We can’t keep this tempo we’ve had for the previous couple of years with a robust economic system whereas continuously in search of staff and coping with provide chain points. So, I feel a cooling off interval could be factor. And I consider that may occur with a ‘delicate touchdown’ that will be helpful for trucking.”
present Class 8 manufacturing numbers within the waning months of 2022, Voorhoeve stated he thinks the 12 months will shut out with gross sales someplace north of the 250,000-unit mark.
“There are many financial alarm bells and alerts. I consider a recession is coming. However the truck enterprise in 2023 will probably be a minimum of the identical degree as 2022.”
’Zero Accidents. Zero Emissions.’
Turning to the topic at hand, Voorhoeve reiterated Volvo’s dedication to decarbonize the transportation sector by decreasing the corporate’s CO2 emissions 50% by 2030, and by 100% by 2040. Doing so requires an all-in dedication to sustainability in all facets of Volvo’s operations, on a world scale, Voorhoeve added. This consists of carbon-free manufacturing and landfill-free operations, 100% renewable power electrical energy websites all through the U.S., and ongoing inside training to make environmental and sustainability a pure a part of all Volvo worker actions.
Peter Voorhooeve, president and CEO of Volvo Vans North America, stated fleets have many questions on all facets of electrical truck purchases and operations – and that Volvo was working to supply options for them at each step by that acquisition and operational journey.
Picture: Jack Roberts
“Our mission is straightforward,” Voorhoeve stated. “Zero accidents. Zero emissions. Sustainability must be greater than only a advertising slogan,” he harassed. “I need it to be seen in every part that we do. If a buyer comes right into a Volvo dealership, I need them to see immediately that sustainability is an integral a part of our enterprise mannequin. We don’t simply speak about this stuff. We do them.”
Volvo is now actively promoting the widest vary of Class 8 electrical truck configurations in North America, Voorhoeve added. These embrace VNR Electrical choices with 4 or six battery packs, with each straight truck and tractor fashions starting from 33,000 lbs. GVW to 82,000 lbs. GCW.
Fleets — together with many high-profile ones — are utilizing Volvo VNR Electrical vehicles in day-to-day operations all throughout North America, Voorhoeve stated. However, he added, fleets that haven’t but ventured into new electrical vehicles nonetheless have many questions on this new know-how.
“Fleets are not sure of what degree of funding they should make right this moment,” he stated. “There’s a actual lack of restore and upkeep price understanding. They solely have restricted visibility into future battery-electric car traits and developments. They don’t seem to be positive find out how to safe incentives to assist with buying the vehicles. To assist them, we should do extra than simply promote vehicles right this moment. Now, our mission is to assist our prospects with decarbonized transport options.”
Recommendation and Assist at Each EV Milestone
A number of Volvo choices again up this strategy. This consists of quite a lot of mortgage choices for bought vehicles in addition to each open- and closed-end lease choices. Volvo can be serving to fleets navigate numerous state and federal EV incentive choices, which might save anyplace from $20,000 to $60,000 on the price of a brand new electrical truck, Voorhoeve stated.
To be able to assist fleets offset unexpected prices normally related to new applied sciences, Volvo’s Gold Contract, an integral a part of any VNR Electrical lease or buy, covers each facet of the truck apart from tires and glass, together with upkeep and repairs, towing, and battery life/well being administration.
Voorhoeve famous that Volvo already has 18 dealerships in North America licensed to work on electrical vehicles. All Gold Contract work is carried out by these dealerships utilizing Volvo elements and really helpful service procedures. The supplier is reimbursed for the work by Volvo, so there is no such thing as a price to the fleet. Every thing is roofed below the settlement, which locks in elements and labor prices on the outset, so that they remained mounted, no matter inflation, market calls for or provide chain points.
Volvo is stepping up its telematics and connectivity capabilities with a view to assist electrical vehicles in actual time and assist drivers and fleets mitigate early “vary anxiousness” points. This consists of route simulation forward of electrical truck deployments to establish the routes finest suited to electrical vehicles. Actual-time monitoring of electrics on the job offers low state-of-charge alerts.
On the infrastructure entrance, Volvo is working with fleets to assist start discussions with energy firms on including EV infrastructure, in addition to a number of charging choices, together with direct-current, fast-charging options from as little to 1 hour to seven hours for a full battery cost, or slow-charging choices that ship a full state of cost in a single day. A brand new program lets fleets order charging {hardware} options straight from Volvo Vans sellers after they buy VNR Electrical vehicles.
Briefly, Vorhooeve stated, Volvo is working to combine itself into each facet of EV truck acquisitions for fleets, from small carriers who merely need to experiment with the know-how, as much as massive, nationwide fleets with aggressive sustainability objectives to fulfill within the close to future.
