Volvo’s New VNR Electric Brings Zero-Emission Semis To North America

Electric trucking just got one step – actually, 150 miles – closer to reality today as Volvo Trucks North America announced it is starting commercial sales of its battery-powered, Class 8 Volvo VNR Electric truck. The large EV will be built alongside diesel semi tractors at Volvo Trucks’ New River Valley assembly plant in Dublin, Virginia starting in early 2021.

Available in a number of different configurations, the VNR Electric is “a milestone for Volvo Trucks North America, and the entire industry,” said Volvo Trucks North America president Peter Voorhoeve. Meant to offer local and regional delivery companies a zero-emission option – one that will also be quieter and easier to operate for their drivers – each VNR Electric comes with a new service called Volvo Gold Contract. This Gold Contract is designed to make it easy for fleet managers to take the leap into electromobility, covering scheduled and preventative maintenance, towing and vehicle repair, including any issues with the lithium-ion batteries. The Volvo Gold Contract also includes the Uptime Services telematics service Volvo Trucks offers for its other semi trucks and can even be used to bundle payment and financing options through Volvo Financial Services

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. It is the first service contract of its kind from Volvo Trucks North America.

Offering the same Uptime Services bundle shows how VTNA wants to make going electric as seamless as possible. While the mechanics are different across the company’s line-up of vehicles, by offering the same services and by making the VNR Electric look like and drive similarly to a diesel-powered, regional-haul VNR model, there shouldn’t be a lot of new things to drivers need to learn.

But there will be some, obviously. The maximum 150-mile range could be a downside for some operators, but for those who can either make that work for their daily routes or who have time to recharge during the day – using a 150-kW CCS DC Fast Charger, the semi’s massive 264-kWh lithium-ion batteries can be charged up to 80 percent in 70 minutes – operating the VNR Electric should be a pleasant change from diesel trucks. They’re quieter and easier to use with a two-speed I-Shift transmission, and drivers will likely step out of them more refreshed than after operating a diesel semi over similar distances, Voorhoeve said.

The Volvo VNR Electric will be offered in three configurations, including a single-axle straight truck with a gross vehicle weight rating of 33,200 pounds and two tractor configurations: 4×2 with a 66,000-pound gross combination weight rating (GCWR) and 6×2 with an up-to 82,000-pound GCWR. Whichever model drivers use, the electric driveline can produce 455 horsepower and up to 4,051 pound-feet of torque. Safety features offered in the fossil-fuel Volvo VNRs will all be available in the VNR Electric. The truck’s batteries were engineered to last between six and eight years.

Despite all of the similarities with today’s diesel trucks, Volvo knows that drivers in some states, like California, are more likely to be the jump on board than others. Volvo is still learning from the LIGHTS project to offer electric semis that fit with customer needs, but even so, going electric is a slow process.

“This truck is not for everyone at this point,” said Magnus Koeck, VTNA’s vice president of marketing and brand management. “Pick-up delivery, urban areas, short, regional haul. That’s really where the focus is now, but of course that will change over time.”