Volvo Trucks takes a leap toward eco-friendly transportation as it commences serial production of heavy battery electric trucks at its Ghent factory, expanding its electric truck production across Europe and the United States.
Volvo Trucks has officially kicked off serial production of heavy battery electric trucks at its Ghent factory in Belgium. This development marks an expansion of Volvo’s electric truck production capabilities, now spanning four factories, with three in Europe and one in the United States.
The Ghent factory, being the largest within Volvo’s extensive network, stands as a milestone in the company’s journey towards electrifying the trucking industry.
Roger Alm, President of Volvo Trucks, said, “I’m thrilled! The Ghent factory is the largest one in our network, so this is a very important milestone. Now even more transport companies can go electric with Volvo.”
Ghent will be responsible for manufacturing three distinct electric truck models: the Volvo FH, the Volvo FM, and the Volvo FMX Electric. These versatile trucks total weight capacity of 44 tonnes and can be adapted to suit a wide array of transportation needs.
The Ghent factory, with an annual production capacity of approximately 45,000 trucks, demonstrates its flexibility by assembling electric trucks alongside their diesel and gas-powered counterparts on the same platform and assembly line. The battery packs, a cornerstone of electric vehicle production, are supplied by the recently inaugurated battery assembly plant in Ghent, conveniently located adjacent to the production line.
Ghent now joins the ranks as the fourth Volvo Trucks factory to partake in the production of battery electric trucks. The journey began in Blainville, France, in 2019, where Volvo commenced the assembly of electric trucks for refuse handling and city distribution. The New River Valley site in the United States followed suit in 2020, initiating serial production of the VNR Electric, designed specifically for regional transport. A watershed moment was achieved last year when Volvo Trucks made history by commencing serial production of its heaviest electric range at the Tuve plant in Sweden, becoming the world’s first global manufacturer to do so.
To date, Volvo Trucks has received orders, including letters of intent, for approximately 6,000 electric trucks in 42 countries spread across six continents. Roger Alm commented on this progress, stating, “Just a few years ago, many thought it was impossible to electrify heavy truck transport. But we decided early on that electrification is our main path to zero emissions. Now we can offer an industry-leading range of purpose-built electric trucks, in commercial operation all around the world.”
