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Volvo Ready to Deploy New Electric Semi-Truck

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Volvo VNR Electric semi-truck
Photo: Volvo Trucks North America

Volvo Trucks North America announced it will begin selling the new Volvo VNR Electric semi-truck on December 3, 2020. Production will start in early 2021 at the company’s New River Valley manufacturing plant in Dublin, Virginia.

The Volvo VNR Electric is a zero-emission Class 8 truck (the largest type of heavy truck, often referred as a semi or 18-wheeler). With the VNR Electric’s launch, Volvo is positioning itself as a leader in that segment of the North American trucking industry.


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And that segment is expected to grow rapidly. The Swedish automaker says it will focus on developing electric vehicles for heavy long-haul operations throughout the decade, starting with battery-electric trucks and, in the second half of the 2020s, selling fuel-cell electric trucks.

Volvo expects to have a completely fossil-free product range by 2040. However, many companies seeking to add an electric semi-truck to their fleet won’t have to wait that long. Along with the launch of the VNR Electric launch, Volvo also announced it would offer “a complete range of electric heavy-duty trucks” in Europe as early as 2021.

“By rapidly increasing the number of heavy-duty electric trucks, we want to help our customers and transport buyers to achieve their ambitious sustainability goals,” said Roger Alm, president of Volvo Trucks Corporation. “We’re determined to continue driving our industry toward a sustainable future.”


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In its press release outlining the upcoming sale of the Volvo VNR Electric, the company also made plain its belief that trucking solutions “must be fossil-free.” As far as Volvo is concerned, the work now is to ensure that fleet operators can successfully and smoothly transition to more sustainable transport.

“As part of the very successful Volvo LIGHTS project…we validated the viability and reliability of the Volvo VNR Electric in real-world operations and proved what it takes to create a holistic, end-to-end electromobility solution to drive true sustainability in the trucking industry,” said Peter Voorhoeve, president of Volvo Trucks North America. “We are fully confident in bringing this new technology to the commercial market.”