The first electrically-powered extra-heavy Volvo truck is on South African roads as part of the homologation testing ahead of delivery to the first customer, KDG Logistics.

Eric Parry, Volvo Trucks SA’s sustainable solutions manager, took the Volvo FM 4x2 truck-tractor through its paces on a trip from the company’s dealer in Durban to its facilities in Johannesburg – a 600 km journey, with only one stop for charging.

“We aimed to prove that an extra heavy electric truck like this, can drive long distances. Even though we did not carry any payload, it still gave us a good indication of just what this truck is capable of,” says Parry. “Generally, battery electric trucks are used in regional distribution, operating in and around cities, running from distribution centres to stores, etc. But with proper planning, customers will be able to do so much more.”

Volvo Trucks South Africa is bringing in its complete extra-heavy electric truck range, which includes FH, FM and FMX models in truck-tractor and rigid configurations. Axle combinations will also include 4x2 through to 8x4 models. The full load on the first FM units will be 44 tonnes GCM (Gross Combination Mass). With a drive line that has 490 kW of power and 2 400 Nm of torque, it will definitely not struggle to get the job done.

“Locally, there has been a lot of activity and interest around electromobility, a lot quicker than we anticipated, and the enthusiasm and opportunities in South Africa are there,” says Sally Rutter, Volvo Trucks South Africa’s sales director. “Irrespective of local challenges when it comes to loadshedding and infrastructure, a lot of customers are looking at setting up their own charging infrastructures to accommodate electromobility and their own sustainability goals.”

“These trucks can run meaningful kilometres in a day and if you have your charging set-up optimised, you can extend that range quite comfortably and match your operations to it,” added Parry. “Within regional operations, public charging is not relevant for these types of fleets and having control of their own charging will allow customers to fix their energy costs.”

Volvo Trucks electric trucks are designed to operate in a wide range of climates and environments. This includes higher altitudes and warmer conditions typically found in South Africa.

“These electric trucks will be working commercial vehicles, and are designed to be treated and driven as such,” said Parry. “We are excited about Volvo Trucks’ electromobility future in South Africa.”