Volvo's heavy-duty electric truck has reportedly completed its first independent energy efficiency test conducted in Germany.
The electric truck is claimed to be able to exceed its official range by using 50% less energy than the diesel variant.
The test was carried out with one of its flagship electric trucks, the Volvo FH Electric, which is a zero-emission truck that has a power of 675 hp (490 kW) with a gross weight of 40 tons.
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The truck was tested by one of the German truck journalists, Jan Burgdorf, on the 343 km Green Truck Route which includes various highways, hilly terrain and narrower roads used for testing different manufacturers' trucks under various conditions.
“I must say, when driving this truck is just as agile, or even more agile, than a diesel truck. Drivers will be very surprised about how easy it is to drive, how quiet it is and how well it responds. There was no vibration at all,” said Jan Burgdorf.
He revealed that the Volvo FH Electric was able to maintain an average speed of 80 kph throughout the route, which is equivalent to a Volvo FH equipped with a diesel engine and the I-Save fuel efficiency package.
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Based on energy consumption of only 1.1 kWh/km, this electric truck also has a total range of 345 km on a single charge.
Meanwhile, Tobias Bergman as Press Test Director of Volvo Trucks explained that the results of this test show that the Volvo FH Electric can drive up to 500 km during a typical working day.
In the Green Truck Route test, he continued, the Volvo FH Electric was also found to have used 50% less energy than the Volvo FH with a comparable diesel engine.
“Electric drive lines are very efficient, making all-electric trucks a very powerful tool for reducing CO2 emissions,” he explained.
Tobias Bergman said that the aim of testing Volvo's electric trucks is as a form of electric vehicle that will account for half of its truck sales by 2030 and by 2040 with a 100% CO2 reduction.
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“We are committed to the Paris Agreement on climate change. Science-based targets have been set and we are taking action to accelerate development to dramatically reduce CO2 emissions associated with road transport of goods,” he said.
“I believe that the wide range of electricity that we already have in the market is very clear evidence of that.”
