Volvo Trucks to Introduce All-Electric Version of VNR Model

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Transport Topics  /  December 11, 2018

WASHINGTON — Volvo Trucks will bring electric-powered commercial trucks to North America next year by introducing a battery-electric version of its VNR regional haul model.

The truck manufacturer said it will first deploy the zero-emissions VNR Electric tractor in 2019 in demonstrations in California and will begin selling the vehicle across North America in 2020.

Volvo made the announcement here Dec. 11 during a roundtable discussion with industry press hosted by Peter Voorhoeve, the new president of Volvo Trucks North America.

“We are proud to announce the Volvo VNR Electric, designed to support cities focused on sustainable urban development and fleets operating in a range of regional-haul and distribution operations,” said Voorhoeve, who began his current role Sept. 1.

Volvo did not reveal the truck’s final design or the vehicle’s range and weight, but said it will be based on the battery-electric powertrain used in its FE Electric cabover model for the European market.

The truck maker plans to deploy 23 of its VNR Electric models in southern California through a project dubbed Volvo LIGHTS, or Low Impact Green Heavy Transport Solutions. The project, aimed at reducing greenhouse-gas emissions, is a partnership between Volvo Group and California’s South Coast Air Quality Management District, as well as other companies involved in transportation and electrical charging infrastructure. The California Air Resources Board preliminarily awarded $44.8 million to SCAQMD for the initiative.

Volvo LIGHTS will transform freight operations at facilities of NFI Industries and Dependable Highway Express, Volvo said.

Voorhoeve described the project as an “end-to-end solution” addressing not just the vehicle, but the charging infrastructure and other concerns to make electrification work in real freight operations.

“Electric trucks bring many unknowns and our holistic focus through the LIGHTS project will help our fleet partners transition securely and smoothly based on their individual needs regarding driving cycles, load capacity, uptime, range and other parameters,” said Johan Agebrand, VTNA’s director of product marketing.

On the other side of the Atlantic, Volvo first unveiled the FE Electric and another all-electric model, the FL Electric, earlier this year, and announced plans to start selling those trucks in Europe in 2019.

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Volvo plans VNR Electric regional tractor by 2020

Fleet Owner  /  December 11, 2018

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Volvo Trucks’ first North American all-electric truck will be a VNR regional-haul tractor, the company announced Tuesday. The trucks will debut in California as demonstration units next year, operating in distribution, regional-haul and drayage operations. The VNR Electric will go on sale in North America in 2020.

“We are proud to announce the Volvo VNR Electric, designed to support cities focused on sustainable urban development and fleets operating in a range of regional-haul and distribution operations,” said Peter Voorhoeve, president of Volvo Trucks North America, during a meeting here with the media.

“The Volvo VNR Electric leverages the versatility of the new Volvo VNR series with a proven fully-electric powertrain, and represents a strategic stride toward a comprehensive electrified transport ecosystem,” he said. “Cities prioritizing sustainable urban development can leverage electrified transport solutions to help improve air quality and reduce traffic noise. Cleaner, quieter, fully-electric commercial transport also creates opportunities for expanded morning and late-night operations, helping cut traffic congestion during peak hours.”

The Volvo VNR Electric demonstration units will be based on the propulsion and energy storage technology currently being used in the Volvo FE Electric, according to the company, and builds on the Volvo Group’s accumulated expertise in electrified transport solutions. Sister company Volvo Buses has sold more than 4,000 electrified buses since 2010.

“The Volvo VNR is ideal for applications like heavy urban distribution, drayage and other regional applications where electric trucks will first have the greatest impact,” said Johan Agebrand, Volvo Trucks North America director of product marketing. “The VNR series has received tremendous industry acceptance since its April 2017 introduction, and the addition of an all-electric powertrain provides even greater opportunities to expand its footprint in the regional-haul market.”

Introduction of the Volvo VNR Electric models are part of a partnership, known as LIGHTS (Low Impact Green Heavy Transport Solutions) between the Volvo Group, California’s South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD), and industry leaders in transportation and electrical charging infrastructure.

“The LIGHTS project is a truly unique opportunity to showcase a holistic approach to electrification of the freight transport industry as we handle ongoing challenges including electricity generation and battery optimization,” said Voorhoeve. “We appreciate that the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and the SCAQMD have recognized our leadership and trusted us to oversee this project that will ultimately result in the commercialization of fully-electric heavy-duty trucks. In addition to introducing the VNR Electric, through LIGHTS we will bring a complete sustainable freight solution with end-to-end electrification coordination with our many partners.”

"Electric trucks bring many unknowns and our holistic focus through the LIGHTS project will help our fleet partners transition securely and smoothly based on their individual needs regarding driving cycles, load capacity, uptime, range and other parameters,” said Agebrand. “Within the project we’ll look at everything from route analysis and battery optimization to servicing and financing. We always aim to offer high uptime and productivity.”

CARB has preliminarily awarded $44.8 million to SCAQMD for the Volvo LIGHTS project.  The Volvo LIGHTS project will involve 16 partners, and will transform freight operations at the facilities of two of the United States’ top trucking fleets.  Volvo LIGHTS is part of California Climate Investments, a statewide initiative that puts billions of Cap-and-Trade dollars to work reducing greenhouse gas emissions, strengthening the economy and improving public health and the environment – particularly in disadvantaged communities.

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Volvo Reveals Electric VNR Model to Go On Sale in 2020

Heavy Duty Trucking (HDT)  /  December 11, 2018

Volvo Trucks has announced plans to sell an all-electric truck called the Volvo VNR Electric in North America by 2020.

Volvo had already announced that they would begin testing all-electric trucks in regional haul fleets in California beginning in 2019 before selling an electric truck model 2020 but was light on the specifics. Now we know that the VNR Electric will be based on the fully-electric powertrain technology currently being used in the Volvo FE Electric, which Volvo Trucks presented in May and will begin selling in Europe in 2019.

The company expects the VNR Electric to suitable for heavy urban distribution, drayage and other regional applications.

“The Volvo VNR Electric leverages the versatility of the new Volvo VNR series with a proven fully-electric powertrain, and represents a strategic stride toward a comprehensive electrified transport ecosystem,” said Peter Voorhoeve, president of Volvo Trucks North America. “Cities prioritizing sustainable urban development can leverage electrified transport solutions to help improve air quality and reduce traffic noise. Cleaner, quieter, fully-electric commercial transport also creates opportunities for expanded morning and late-night operations, helping cut traffic congestion during peak hours.” 

The Volvo VNR Electric came out of the Low Impact Green Heavy Transport Solutions partnership between Volvo Group and California’s South Coast Air Quality Management District as well as transportation and electrical charging infrastructure members. The California Air Resources Board allotted $44.8 million for the Volvo LIGHTS project, which is part of an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in California.

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Volvo taps VNR regional-haul tractor for electric truck option in North America

Jeff Crissey, Commercial Carrier Journal (CCJ)  /  December 11, 2018

Providing more clarity on its game plan toward an electric truck solution for the North American market, Volvo Trucks North America announced it is moving forward with an electric version of its 2017-launched Volvo VNR regional tractor originally developed for and produced in North America.

Dubbed the VNR Electric, the tractor will be put into test operations next year with 23 units at fleet customers NFI and Dependable Highway Express as part of the Low Impact Green Heavy Transport Solution (LIGHTS) partnership consisting of the Volvo Group, California’s South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) and other transportation and electrical charging infrastructure participants. The California Air Resources Board provided more than $44 million in funding for the project.

“We appreciate that the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and the SCAQMD have recognized our leadership and trusted us to oversee this project that will ultimately result in the commercialization of fully-electric heavy-duty trucks,” said Peter Voorhoeve, president of Volvo Trucks North America.

Voorhoeve said the VNR Electric will be commercially available beginning in 2020 after the completion of the LIGHTS project. But vehicle details are light other than a 113-inch BBC length and 50-degree wheel cut. Company executives said it will rely on fully electric powertrain technology from the Volvo FE and FL Electric cabovers introduced in Europe earlier this year and available for sale in 2019. The tractor also will feature a “driver-centric work environment” and stamped steel bumper to protect the lights and grille.

In addition to its European FL and FE siblings, the VNR Electric’s development will undoubtedly build on experience gained from Volvo Buses’ electric vehicle development. The group currently has added more than 4,000 electric buses into operation since 2010.

As the VNR Electric is still under development, no detailed specs were released other than a 113-inch BBC and 50-degree wheel cut.“We have decided in the group not to use cabover from Europe, but to electrify the VNR,” said Voorhoeve at a press roundtable at the House of Sweden in Washington, D.C. “From a technology point of view, we are using the electric drivetrain in the FE and FL. But we believe that for electric truck applications that the VNR is the electric truck for North America. We will showcase it in the LIGHTS project and then right after that we will commercialize it.”

The $90.7 million LIGHTS project is Volvo’s way of differentiating itself from other truck OEMs and startups in the electric truck space with by developing an end-to-end solution that addresses the tractor as well as the charging infrastructure that will be required by fleets at terminals and customer locations.

“Electric trucks bring many unknowns and our holistic focus through the LIGHTS project will help our fleet partners transition securely and smoothly based on their individual needs regarding driving cycles, load capacity, uptime, range and other parameters,” said Johan Agebrand, director of product marketing for Volvo Trucks North America. “Within the project we’ll look at everything from route analysis and battery optimization to servicing and financing.”

The buzz around electric vehicles created by companies like Tesla, Thor and Chanje have helped accelerate the conversation around electromobility in North America, said Magnus Koeck, vice president of marketing and brand management for Volvo Trucks North America, but he added Volvo Trucks has a built-in advantage of scalability of a global company that builds in excess of 200,000 trucks per year.

“Anyone can build one or two or 10 [electric trucks], but to have an entire global supply chain to build 200,000 trucks that are correctly spec’d for a particular customer in a particular market or region around the world, that shouldn’t be underestimated,” said Koeck.

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Will an electric Anthem follow? If not Volvo will be putting the squeeze on Mack regional and bulk haul.

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Experimental Volvo All-Electric VNR Enters Limited Service

Heavy Duty Trucking (HDT)  /  June 18, 2020

Volvo Trucks North America deployed its first pilot VNR Electric truck in Southern California as part of the Volvo LIGHTS (Low Impact Green Heavy Transport Solutions) project. The first pilot Volvo VNR Electric truck will operate at the Volvo Trucks North America TEC Equipment dealership in Fontana, California. The zero-emission truck will transport local parts between the TEC Equipment dealerships in Fontana and La Mirada. 

Volvo LIGHTS is a collaboration with the South Coast Air Quality Management District and 13 other organizations to develop a blueprint to  introduce battery-electric trucks and equipment into the market at scale. 

“Volvo Trucks is proud to lead the way in the sustainable electrification of freight movement. Working with our dealership, TEC Equipment, to pilot the first Volvo VNR Electric on the road and in real-world applications is an exciting step toward our plans to commercialize these zero-emission trucks in North America this fall,” said Peter Voorhoeve, president of Volvo Trucks North America. “The all-electric Volvo VNR will become the ideal truck model for short- and regional-haul applications, such as urban distribution and drayage.” 

The TEC Fontana dealership has two 50-kW chargers inside its truck maintenance bays, as well as a 150-kW charger located outside to let fleet customers fast charge at the dealership. Over the past year, the Volvo LIGHTS team worked with Southern California Edison (the local utility) and San Bernardino County to safely install the high-power infrastructure.  

“This experience in designing, planning, and installing high-power chargers for electric trucks has taught us how critical it is to engage a variety of stakeholders early on,” said Aravind Kailas, advanced technology policy director for Volvo Group North America. “The Volvo LIGHTS project has provided valuable insight into how to build realistic project timelines. Despite the unavoidable delays due to the COVID-19 situation, we’re proud the team has been able to continue moving the project forward.”   

Starting in 2021, Southern California businesses will have the opportunity to lease Volvo VNR Electric trucks from TEC Equipment to gain firsthand experience with these advanced trucks in their fleet operations. TEC’s Fontana team will be fully trained and equipped to safely perform maintenance for its fleet customers. In addition to being outfitted with personal protective equipment for working with high voltage, the technicians have been trained on the proper procedure to isolate the high voltage for diagnosis and service repairs. 

As part of the Volvo LIGHTS project, two local fleet operators—NFI Industries and Dependable Supply Chain Services—will also begin demonstrating the pilot Volvo VNR Electric trucks for full operations in their regional routes later this summer.   

More About the Volvo LIGHTS Project

The Volvo LIGHTS project was made possible by an award to South Coast AQMD of $44.8 million from CARB as part of California Climate Investments. CCI is a statewide initiative that puts billions of Cap-and-Trade dollars to work reducing greenhouse gas emissions, strengthening the economy and improving public health and the environment – particularly in disadvantaged communities.  

As a result, South Coast AQMD contributed $4 million from the Clean Fuels Fund and awarded a $45.6M contract to the Volvo Group to design and implement the project.  Volvo and its partners have promised no less than $45.7M matching contribution to increase the total project value to over $91M for South Coast AQMD to administer. 

The Volvo LIGHTS team also includes partnerships with Rio Hondo College and San Bernardino Valley College to create electric vehicle repair and service technician programs to prepare the region’s workforce for the introduction of battery-electric freight trucks. The colleges have already begun introducing the curriculum in the classroom and enrolling students for the fall.  

Rio Hondo and SBVC are also working with the Volvo LIGHTS team to design a training program with fire departments within the Inland Empire communities—including San Bernardino County (which covers the TEC Fontana dealership), Chino, and Ontario—to ensure that the region’s first responders are fully prepared to safely respond in case of an incident or accident involving a heavy-duty battery-electric vehicle.   

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Quick spin: Volvo’s electric VNR

Jason Cannon, Commercial Carrier Journal (CCJ)  /  February 21, 2020

The electric truck is carving out a niche in stop-and-start and low-mileage applications, so sending a small fleet of them into California’s ports sounds like no-brainer.

Announced just more than a year ago, the Low Impact Green Heavy Transport Solution (LIGHTS) partnership teamed together Volvo Trucks North America (VTNA) fleet customers NFI and Dependable Highway Express (DHE) in the deployment of electric VNR trucks for use at their California port operations – part of a joint effort to demonstrate the ability of battery electric vehicles (EVs) to improve freight and warehouse efficiencies, reduce emissions and improve air quality.

The first crop of LIGHTS trucks have been ordered and delivered, but delivery of one straight truck in particular may have been a little behind schedule because, last week, I was driving it around the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California.

My test unit, one of the first five units to be built, belonged to DHE and is part of Volvo’s LIGHTS partnership, which will see a combination of straight-trucks and tractors service dedicated routes in and around California’s Inland Empire. The number of eVNRs is expected to swell to more than 20 by the project’s end, bring along with them an array of electric support equipment, like forklifts and pickups, public and private charging infrastructure and dealership-based electric truck service and maintenance capabilities.

The first five trucks were built on the line at Volvo’s New River Valley (NRV) truck assembly plant as a glider before being finished by hand in Greensboro, N.C. When the trucks enter production late this year, the electric VNR will be built in NRV on the same line as conventional VNR models but its electric driveline will be installed on a different production line.

The electric VNR’s driveline is time-tested, having started on Volvo’s electric bus (Volvo has sold more than 4,000 electrified buses since 2010). It was then integrated into Volvo’s European FE electric cabover before making its way to the VNR.

The truck’s radiator is functional and keeps the system heated and cooled, which supports battery life. A modular power box – basically the brain of the whole outfit – sits where a diesel engine would normally. Packs of batteries flank the cab, each weighing about 1,150 pounds, and supply onboard power. The battery system is designed like a shelf, allowing packs to be slid in and out for service.

The charging port is located on the driver’s side, which prevents the driver from unknowingly pulling away while the truck is charging. You’d practically have to climb over the cable to get into the cab.

The eVNR features center-mounted dual electric motors with a two-speed gearbox. The truck seamlessly shifts into second gear around 30 mph. It doesn’t take off like a rocket – nor should it – but the torque and power are instant.

The electric truck may one day revolutionize the transportation industry, but very little of what matters to the driver is slated to get an overhaul. As far as the driving experience, there’s no sexy story to tell. It feels, handles and drives like a truck, which is a good thing. Of all the obstacles to overcome – lack of infrastructure, range anxiety and battery weight and cost – reinventing on-road feel and performance is an unnecessary war to fight.

Gear selector buttons – neutral, drive and reverse – are mounted in the dash. To move the truck forward, you release the air brake, hit the D button and punch the throttle. There’s no creeping along at idle, so hitting the pedal is pretty important.

The amount of noise coming from the truck – at least the absence of it – feels … odd. A lot of engineering has gone into a modern diesel engine to limit the amount of noise it makes, but there’s no mistaking a diesel-powered Volvo VNR for a Tesla Model 3 in a blind test. The only noise coming from the electric truck, aside from the tires making contact with the pavement, comes from the air compressor.

By placing the truck in reverse, the truck’s electric motors turn in the other direction. There is no “shifting” into reverse. That makes the change in course much smoother and easier on the cargo.

A gauge where the tachometer would normally be tells you the amount of load on the battery. At rest, it points to zero. Depending on speed, grade and load, it will drift to some degree of negative.

Coasting downhill, for example, with the regenerative brake engaged will pump more power into the battery and push the needle toward the plus side, as you’re making more energy than you’re using.

The regen brake is located on the stalk where the engine brake would be, and similarly has three stages. Each will engage after about 2 seconds of the driver having taken their foot off the accelerator. An automatic setting takes into consideration the truck’s payload and targeted range to capture the most amount of energy needed in the smoothest stage possible.

Volvo will use the LIGHTS project to help determine just how far its electrified VNRs can travel on a full charge under load, but the range demand on these routes is pretty minimal – generally less than 175 miles.

Volvo has logged about 2,000 test miles across the first five trucks but they’re about to be handed over full time. These trucks aren’t technology demonstrators. They’re working trucks. They have real freight moving obligations and downtime will be a problem.

And that’s exactly how VTNA President Peter Voorhoeve wants it. LIGHTS isn’t a science experiment and Voorhoeve hopes it will pave the way for a greener, emissions-free electrified future where electric trucks at a port will be as ubiquitous as Maersk containers.

“I would like to able to say that this LIGHTS project really changed the use of electromobility,” Voorhoeve said, noting he has a higher objective to the project than simply getting orders. “I hope to sell as many of them as possible, but this is larger than selling trucks. This is about moving the public opinion that this works. That this is the way forward. If we get that, then LIGHTS was a success.”

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