Volvo To Introduce Electric Trucks In North America, Will Work Alongside California

by Jake Tully - Published: 9/28/2018

Earlier this week, Swedish-based truck manufacturer Volvo announced that the company will introduce all-electric truck demonstrators in California in 2019, with commercialized electric trucks in 2020.

As part of a partnership between Volvo, California’s South Coast Air Management District (SCAQMD) and other parties involved in electrical charging infrastructure, Volvo reports that the introduction of the trucks is a move towards a greener presence in the trucking industry.

"This is yet another important step towards our vision zero emissions,” said Claes Nilsson, President of Volvo Trucks. “We are convinced that electrified truck transport will be a key driver of sustainable transports, and we're proud to contribute the Volvo Group's expertise to this innovative public-private partnership."

Volvo reports that the California Air Resources Board has awarded a preliminary $44.8 million to the SCAQMD for the Low Impact Green Heavy Transport Solutions (LIGHTS) project, involving 16 partners with plans to transform fleet operations at two of the top trucking fleets in the United States.

The partners for the LIGHTS project will employ a wide variety of smart technologies including remote diagnostics, web-based service management platforms, geofencing, and other technologies to monitor truck performance aspects within the project.
"This is an excellent opportunity to show the end-to-end potential of electrification," said President of Volvo Trucks North America, Peter Voorhoeve. "From solar energy harvesting at our customer locations, to electric vehicle uptime services, to potential second uses for batteries, this project will provide invaluable experience and data for the whole value chain."

More information on the upcoming release of the electric vehicles and the LIGHTS project may be found at Volvo’s site.