Volvo put the 40 tonnes FH electric to the test. See video and results
In the Green Truck Route tests, the Volvo FH Electric apparently used 50% less energy than a Volvo FH with a comparable diesel engine. Volvo Trucks goal is that electric vehicles will account for half of its truck sales in 2030.
Volvo Trucks tested its heavy-duty 40 tonnes FH electric truck in Germany, precisely on the Green Truck Route, a 343 km long route that includes a variety of motorways, hilly terrains, and tighter roads that is used for testing different manufacturer’s trucks in a wide range of conditions. According to the news released by Volvo Trucks, the FH electric «kept an average speed of 80 km/h over the whole route, which was on par with the Volvo FH equipped with a diesel engine and the fuel efficiency package I-Save. Based on the energy consumption of only 1.1 kWh/km, the electric truck had a total range of 345 km on one charge».
Volvo FH Electric: some comments on the test
«I have to say, when driving this truck it is as agile, or even more agile, than a diesel truck. Drivers will be very surprised about how easy it is to drive, how quiet it is and how well it responds. There are no vibrations whatsoever», declared Jan Burgdorf, the German journalist who drove the truck during the tests.
In the Green Truck Route tests, the Volvo FH Electric apparently used 50% less energy than a Volvo FH with a comparable diesel engine. Volvo Trucks goal is that electric vehicles will account for half of its truck sales in 2030 and in 2040, 100% well-to-wheel based CO2-reduction for new trucks sold.
Towards more sustainable heavy-duty mobility
«We are committed to the Paris Agreement on climate change. Science-based targets have been set and we are taking action to fast-forward the development to dramatically lower CO2 emissions related to on-road freight transports. I believe that the broad electric range we already have on the market is very clear proof of that», added Tobias Bergman, who is Director of Press tests at Volvo Trucks.
More into details, the Volvo FH Electric tested in Germany had a battery capacity of 540 kWh and an output power of 490 kW. The total test truck distance covered was 343 km. Some more challenging tests under harsh winter conditions involving Volvo Trucks electric vehicles were carried out in Sweden, back in December 2021.
