Volvo Trucks North America has deployed its first pilot VNR Electric truck in Southern California.
The launch is part of the Volvo LIGHTS (Low Impact Green Heavy Transport Solutions) project with the South Coast Air Quality Management District (South Coast AQMD) and 13 other organisations.
The initative aims to develop a blueprint for introducing battery-electric trucks and equipment into the market at scale.
The VNR Electric truck will be used to transport parts between Volvo Trucks’ TEC Equipment dealership in Fontana and La Mirada, California.
The TEC Fontana dealership has two 50 kW chargers inside its truck maintenance bays, as well as a 150 kW charger located outside to enable fleet customers to fast charge.
Over the past year, the Volvo LIGHTS team worked with local utility Southern California Edison and San Bernardino County to safely install the high-power infrastructure.
Volvo Trucks North America president Peter Voorhoeve says the company is “proud to lead the way in the sustainable electrification of freight movement”.
“Working with our dealership, TEC Equipment, to pilot the first Volvo VNR Electric on the road and in real-world applications is an exciting step toward our plans to commercialize these zero-emission trucks in North America this fall.
“The all-electric Volvo VNR will become the ideal truck model for short- and regional-haul applications, such as urban distribution and drayage,” he says.
Aravind Kailas, advanced technology policy director for Volvo Group North America, says it was critical to engage with a variety of stakeholders when working on the project.
This includes everything from designing, planning and installing high-power chargers for the electric trucks.
“The Volvo LIGHTS project has provided valuable insight into how to build realistic project timelines. Despite the unavoidable delays due to the COVID-19 situation, we’re proud the team has been able to continue moving the project forward,” Kailas says.
Starting in 2021, Southern California businesses will have the opportunity to lease Volvo VNR Electric trucks from TEC Equipment to gain experience with the trucks in fleet operations.
TEC’s Fontana team will be fully trained and equipped to perform maintenance for its fleet customers. In addition to being outfitted with personal protective equipment (PPE) for working with high voltage, the technicians have been trained on the proper procedure to isolate the high voltage for diagnosis and service repairs.
Local fleet operators NFI Industries and Dependable Supply Chain Services will also begin demonstrating the electric trucks for full operations in their regional routes in the coming months.
The Volvo LIGHTS project was made possible by an award to South Coast AQMD of $44.8 million from the California Air Resources Board as part of California Climate Investments (CCI).
South Coast AQMD contributed $4m from the Clean Fuels Fund and was awarded a $45.6m contract to the Volvo Group to design and implement the project. Volvo and its partners have promised no less than $45.7m matching contribution to increase the total project value to over $91m for South Coast AQMD to administer.
The Volvo LIGHTS team also includes partnerships with Rio Hondo College and San Bernardino Valley College (SBVC) to create electric vehicle repair and service technician programs to prepare the region’s workforce for the introduction of battery-electric freight trucks. The colleges have already begun introducing the curriculum in the classroom and enrolling students.
The Rio Hondo College automotive technology programme will enable students to earn a degree specific to heavy-duty, battery-electric truck maintenance.
*Go to lightsproject.com for more information on the initiative.
