Volvo Trucks unveiled a completely new, fully electric rear axle at the IAA transport show in Hannover, Germany. Freeing up space for more batteries, the new e-axle means an even longer range for Volvo’s battery electric trucks.
Volvo Trucks has the widest offer of battery electric trucks in the industry, with six different models in serial production. Depending on the model, the range is up to 440 km (273 miles) on one charge.
The new e-axle, presented at the IAA fair in Hannover, Germany, allows even more batteries on the truck by integrating the electric motors and the transmission into the rear axle. More batteries mean a longer range, which creates opportunities for long-distance transport to also be electrified. On the fuel cell electric trucks, that will be introduced in the second half of this decade, the additional space comes in handy for installing other components.
“This is a breakthrough for electric trucks and a clear signal that there will be a huge demand for public fast-chargers for heavy trucks in the near future, not the least along highways,” says Jessica Sandström, SvP Global Product Management at Volvo Trucks.
Complementing the current offer
Volvo Trucks will start serial production of cab-over-engine trucks with the new e-axle a few years from now and it will complement the current line-up of battery electric trucks.
“We will continue with our versatile battery electric trucks that are already in production. They can currently cover a wide range of transport assignments. In a few years, we will add this new rear e-axle for customers covering longer routes than today,” continues Jessica Sandström.
Volvo Trucks has a three-path strategy to reach zero emissions; battery electric, fuel cell electric and combustion engines that run on renewable fuels like biogas, HVO, or even green hydrogen.
“Different technical solutions are needed to tackle climate change, since the availability of energy and fuel infrastructure differs between countries and regions and also between different transport assignments,” concludes Jessica Sandström.
