Volvo Trucks has delivered its first heavy electric truck to the refuse collection company Arma in Morocco, making it the first heavy battery-electric truck from a global manufacturer to be in commercial operation in Africa.
The shift to more sustainable transport is spreading across the world, with Europe and the US among the leaders. Now, Africa is taking its first step towards electric transport with Volvo’s series-produced, zero-exhaust emission truck being used to collect waste in Rabat. By replacing the existing Volvo FE diesel truck with a Volvo FE electric on a typical route, approximately 30 tons of CO2 could be saved every year.
Morocco has ambitious climate goals, with large investments in renewable energy, making it a leader in solar power and home to the world’s biggest concentrated solar power facility, Noor Quarzazate, located 200 km southeast of Marrakech. Youssef Ahizoune, CEO of Arma Group, has stated that his company is “reducing its carbon footprint, showing one more time our commitment to the environment” and will “continue investing in innovations that help reduce emissions and benefit the environment while supporting our customers in meeting their own sustainability goals.”
“This is a proud moment when we take the first step to more sustainable, electric transport in Morocco and Africa together with our customer Arma and the city of Rabat. This clearly shows that zero-emissions trucks have a role to play in many parts of the world. Volvo is the first global brand with heavy electric trucks in commercial operation in Africa. We have the broadest electric truck line up in the industry, which makes it possible to electrify a large part of heavy transports already today,” says Martin Nilsson, Managing Director, Volvo Trucks Morocco.
