Volvo, IKEA and Raben with Emission-Free Heavy-Duty Transport

As the world’s first truck manufacturer, Volvo Trucks is now starting series production of heavy electric trucks with 44 tons*, suitable for long-distance transport. At the same time, Volvo Trucks, IKEA Industry, and the Raben Group announced that they have signed an agreement in Poland to collaborate on emission-free heavy-duty transport.

(Ismaning) Volvo Trucks is beginning series production of the electric versions of the Volvo FH for long-distance transport, the Volvo FM for long-distance and regional transport, and the Volvo FMX for the construction segment. The heavy trucks are the company’s key models. Such a heavy Volvo truck can have a permissible total weight of up to 44 tons*. The three models account for about two-thirds of the deliveries of the Swedish commercial vehicle manufacturer.

With these new additions, Volvo Trucks now has six electric truck models in series production worldwide – the most extensive range of electric trucks in the industry. It ranges from the 16-ton distribution vehicle to the 44-ton long-distance tractor unit*.

Scaling Up Production

“This is a milestone and proves that we are leading the change in the industry. It was less than two years ago that we first introduced our heavy electric trucks. Now we are scaling up production and will deliver the new trucks to customers across Europe and later also in Asia, Australia, and Latin America,” says Roger Alm, President of Volvo Trucks.

The series production of Volvo’s large electric trucks begins at the Tuve plant in Gothenburg, Sweden. Next year, the plant in Ghent, Belgium, will follow. Volvo produces the electric trucks on the same production line as its conventional trucks, allowing for high production flexibility and efficiency improvements. The batteries are supplied by Volvo Trucks’ new battery assembly plant in Ghent.

The demand for electric trucks is rapidly increasing in many markets. IKEA is also benefiting from Volvo’s offering and will use heavy electric trucks from Volvo Trucks for internal transport in two of its factories in Zbąszynek, Poland, operated by the Raben Group. The experiences from the project will be used for the electrification of transport processes in a larger transport network.

Shuttle Transport Between Two Plants

The Volvo FM Electric will be used for internal goods transport between two IKEA factories located 14 km apart in Zbąszynek and Babimost in western Poland. The electric trucks will be charged at IKEA Industry’s production sites using renewable energy from an external source. The first Volvo FM Electric will be put into operation in the fall, and there are plans to expand the IKEA fleet based on the experiences from this pilot project.

“We are pleased to announce this collaboration aimed at accelerating our transition to more sustainable road transport. This project allows us to explore and learn about the challenges and opportunities of deploying electric vehicles on a large scale and the interdependencies in a larger transport network,” says Małgorzata Dobies-Turulska, Managing Director of IKEA Industry Zbąszynek.

“We look forward to collaborating with IKEA and the Raben Group regarding more sustainable truck transport. Both IKEA and Raben have ambitious climate goals, just like Volvo. This project will provide us with valuable insights and forms a good basis for expanded collaboration in the future,” says Robert Grozdanovski, SVP Europe Central East & East at Volvo Trucks.

Demand for Electric Trucks is Rapidly Increasing

The demand for electric trucks is generally increasing rapidly due to the necessity for transport customers to switch to fossil-free transport to achieve their sustainability goals. Volvo Trucks’ electric portfolio could cover around 45% of all goods transported in Europe today.**

“We have sold more than 1,000 units of our heavy electric trucks and more than 2,600 of our electric trucks in total. We expect sales volumes to rise significantly in the coming years. By 2030, at least 50 percent of our trucks sold worldwide are expected to be electric,” says Roger Alm.

Six Electric Truck Models

The total of six electric truck models from Volvo Trucks cover a wide range of applications. They can be used, for example, in urban distribution and waste collection, in regional transport, and in the construction industry, helping to combat climate change.

*Gross Combined Weight (GCW)

**According to Eurostat statistics “Road Freight Transport by Distance” (2018), 45% of all goods transported by road in Europe travel a distance of less than 300 km.

Photos: © Volvo Trucks