Volvo has unveiled a new FH Electric model truck in Europe capable of 600 km on a single battery charge.
Volvo continues to push the envelope on electric truck range.
The Swedish OEM has a announced that next year, it will launch a new long-range version of its FH Electric that will be able to reach up to 600 km on one charge. For us Americans with non-metric brains, that translates to over 370-miles of range on a single battery charge.
The FH is Volvo’s Class 8 heavy truck cabover chassis in Europe.
Volvo said this breakthrough will allow transport companies to operate electric trucks on interregional and long-distance routes and to drive a full working day without having to recharge. The new Volvo FH Electric will be released for sale during the second half of 2025.
Volvo’s Electric Flagship in Europe
And the news regarding a longer-range FH is not insignificant for North America. In June, at a deep dive look at the new VNL Class 8 tractor, Volvo teased an electric variant of the truck, slated for launch sometime next year. And it stands to reason that these new range enhancements will figure into that electric truck as well.
“Our new electric flagship will be a great complement to our wide range of electric trucks and enable zero-exhaust emission transport also for longer distances,” said Roger Alm, president Volvo Trucks. “It will be a great solution for transport companies with a high annual mileage on their trucks and with a strong commitment to reduce CO2.”
The enabler for the 600 km range is Volvo’s new driveline technology. Centered on an e-axle, the design creates space for significantly more battery capacity onboard, according to Volvo. This powertrain is combined with more efficient batteries, a further improved battery management system and overall efficiency of the powertrain also contribute to the extended range.
Volvo Trucks is a global leader in medium- and heavy-duty electric trucks with eight battery-electric models in their portfolio, Alm added.
The wide product range makes it possible to electrify city and regional distribution, construction, waste management and, soon, long distance transport. Volvo has so far delivered more than 3,800 electric trucks to customers in 46 countries around the world.
“The transport sector represents seven percent of global carbon emissions. Battery-electric trucks are important tools to reduce the climate footprint. Besides the important environmental gains that electric trucks bring, they offer truck drivers a much better working environment, with much lower levels of noise and vibrations,” says Roger Alm.
Welcome News for a New Technology
Volvo’s BEV range enhancements will be welcome news for the electric truck market in North America, which took some hits earlier this year at the Advanced Clean Transportation Expo (ACT Expo) in Las Vegas in May.
J.B. Hunt CEO Shelley Simpson and Robert Sanchez, CEO and Chairman, Ryder System, told ACT Expo attendees in separate addresses, that thus far, battery-electric trucks are not performing on par with the diesel-powered units they are supposed to replace when E.P.A. Phase 3 Greenhouse Gas Emissions regulations become law in 2027. Issues include cost parity, as well as operational issues.
Volvo its range breakthrough on FH Electric models will allow transport companies to operate on interregional and long-distance routes and to drive a full working day without having to recharge.
In fairness, both Simpson and Sanchez noted that BEV technology for trucks is still largely in the development stage. And both said they see tremendous potential for electric trucks in the future.
But they also said that some problems, including technical problems like limited range, are limiting BEV performance in real-world fleet operations.
Volvo seems to understand these problems and has been working overtime to educate the global trucking industry on zero-emission truck technologies.
The OEM is working on a host of new, green technologies for trucking. These efforts include everything from cleaner, renewable diesel power, work on liquid-hydrogen internal combustion engines as well as battery-electric and fuel-cell electric drivetrains.
Volvo has said repeatedly that it believes significant improvements in single-charge vehicle range are possible for battery-electric trucks. And this latest news is evidence that its engineers are working hard to push those performance boundaries out even further in the future.
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