Volvo Trucks has received a record order for Volvo FM Electric commercial vehicles from one of Northern Europe’s largest shipping and logistics operations.
Danish international shipping and logistics company DFDS, ordered 100 of the electric trucks making it the largest commercial order to date for Volvo’s FM Electric.
The deal, considered a breakthrough for the new platform, is also one of the largest ever for heavy electric trucks worldwide.
“This is a major milestone in our commitment to fossil-free transportation and I am very proud of the partnership we have with DFDS,” said Roger Alm, Volvo Trucks President.
“Together we are showing the world that electrified heavy truck transport is a viable solution already today. I believe this will encourage many more customers to confidently take the first step in their own electrification journey,” he said.
First deliveries of the Volvo FM Electric to DFDS will start in the fourth quarter of 2022 and continue throughout 2023.
The trucks will be used for both short and long transport in the DFDS logistics system in Europe.
“At DFDS, we’re determined to reduce CO2 emissions and create a sustainable supply chain solution to our customers,” said Niklas Andersson, DFDS Executive Vice President and Head of Logistics Division.
“We know how important electrification is to reach our CO2 reduction targets. Placing the largest e-truck order to date at Volvo, we put action behind our ambition to reach 45% CO2 reduction target by 2030.”
The FM Electric can carry a weight of 44 tonnes (gross combination mass) and has a range of up to 300 km.
With a top-up charging session during lunch the distance can be extended. The vehicles can be charged both via overnight depot charging (each truck comes with an AC charger) and via high power charging on route (DC charging).
DFDS has chosen a financing solution provided by Volvo Financial Services.
In Europe, a few hundred trucks above 16 tonnes have been registered so far this year.
Of these, approximately 40 per cent are Volvo electric trucks as the electrification trend in the heavy truck market continues to accelerate.
Volvo Trucks anticipates that half of its global truck deliveries will be electric by 2030.
“Our clear aim is to drive the electric truck transformation and our market-leading position shows that we are definitely on the right track,” said Alms.
“We are pleased to see that growing interest among our customers is starting to be reflected in firm orders, not least by this impressive order from DFDS.”
Volvo Trucks started serial production of electric trucks in 2019.
The product range now includes six electric truck models – the Volvo FH, Volvo FM, Volvo FMX, Volvo FE, Volvo FL and the Volvo VNR, sold in North America.