Volvo Trucks will deliver its first all-electric truck within the next few months. It is a 10- to 15-tonne FE Electric, which will be delivered to the German city of Hamburg.
This reports Bloomberg. Volvo trucks announced back in May that it had developed the all-electric FE Electric. The vehicle is available with a gross weight of up to 27 tonnes, although Bloomberg reports that the model being delivered to Hamburg is a 15-tonne model. The truck is equipped with a pair of electric motors that collectively deliver peak power of 370 kW and continuous power of 260 kW. The electric motors both offer 425 Nm of torque, bringing the total torque to 850 Nm. The truck is equipped with a Volvo two-speed transmission.
Range of up to 200 kilometres
The electric truck will be available with a battery capacity between 200 and 300 kWh. If the 300 kWh model is chosen, the FE Electric has a range of up to 200 kilometres. Two different charging systems are available for charging the trucks: a 22 kW system for AC charging via the mains and a 150 kW system for DC fast charging via CCS/Combo2. Using the 150 kW fast charging system, the vehicle's battery can be charged to 300 kWh in an hour and a half. When using the AC charging system, this takes about 10 hours.
The electric refuse truck being delivered to Hamburg has been developed in collaboration with bodybuilder Faun. Prof Dr Rüdiger Siechau, CEO at Stadtreinigung Hamburg, said in announcing this deal: "Currently, each of our 300 conventional rubbish trucks emits around 31,300 kg of carbon dioxide per year. An electrically powered rubbish truck with a battery that lasts a full eight- to 10-hour shift is a technological breakthrough. Another advantage is the fact that Stadtreinigung Hamburg produces climate-neutral electricity that can be used to charge the batteries."
'Especially interesting on shorter routes'
Martin Lundstedt, chief executive officer (CEO) of Volvo Trucks, expects electric trucks to be an interesting option especially on shorter routes. For longer distances, however, internal combustion engines will remain the best option in the coming years, as charging stations cannot be offered cost-effectively in all locations. "If we want to reduce CO2 emissions, we will have to choose applications that make the biggest difference and for which we have the best technologies available today," Lundstedt told Bloomberg. "To a large extent, those are urban environments." The CEO added: "What we are seeing now is the beginning of a shift that will accelerate rapidly."
Figures from Boomberg New Energy Finance show that while light electric powered trucks aimed at parcel delivery, among others, are currently more expensive to operate than diesel-based alternatives, this balance is set to shift in the short term. Electric variants are expected to be more economical than diesel trucks from 2025 onwards.
FL Electric
The FE Electric is not the first electric truck launched by Volvo Trucks. Back in April, the company announced the FL Electric. This 16-tonne truck features an electric motor with a peak output of 185 kW and a continuous output of 130 kW, while the torque is 425 Nm. Like its bigger brother, the vehicle features a Volvo two-speed transmission.
The FL Electric can be equipped with two to six lithium-ion batteries, providing capacities from 100 to 300 kWh. If the 300 kWh configuration is chosen, the truck will have a range of up to 300 kilometres. As with the FE Electric, these batteries can be charged using either a 22 kW AC charging system or a 150 kW DC fast charging system. With the latter system, the batteries can be fully charged in one to two hours.
Author: Wouter Hoeffnagel
Source: Volvo Trucks (pictured)
Source: Bloomberg
