A first fully electric truck has rolled off the production line at Volvo Trucks in Ghent. The truck maker is the first in the world to market an all-electric model. The new line should create some 100 additional jobs.
"This is a milestone for Flanders," Flemish transport minister Lydia Peeters (liberal/Open VLD) said at the presentation of the first electric truck. The first Volvo FH Electric drove out of the factory on Wednesday morning. Filled to full capacity of 44 tonnes, the truck has a range of up to 300 kilometres. "77 per cent of Freight transport still happens by road, so it is important that we do ensure additional sustainability," Peeters added.
For the time-being, the e-trucks will be built in the same factory and on the same line as diesel trucks, but e-trucks are definitely the future. "By 2030 we want half of our production to be fossil-free and by 2040 we hope only to produce fossil-free trucks," says plant manager Koen Leemans.
"We’re not only talking about e-trucks, we are also looking at hydrogen," Leemans continues. "More and more customers are asking for sustainable alternatives, so we have to respond."
Growing workforce
Leemans says the expansion of electric truck production will generate work for a total of around 100 extra workers. "Last year, we started a battery factory for Europe and a module factory will also be added. It is mainly ancillary activities, associated with the expansion of e-trucks, which generate additional jobs."
Fully electric by 2050
A standard version of a Volvo electric truck costs around €350,000. That is more than twice as much as a diesel truck. However, this is offset by a Flemish subsidy worth 40 per cent of the extra cost as well as lower operating costs.
The first e-truck is heading for the Antwerp company Katoen Natie, which will use it as a shuttle between its warehouse and a compressor manufacturer in Wilrijk. Katoen Natie has signed a letter of intent to purchase 20 more e-trucks.