Volvo to deliver for Amazon

Volvo Trucks said it will deliver 20 electric heavy-duty trucks to Amazon in Germany by year end. The Volvo FH Electric vehicles are expected to drive more than one million road kilometers annually.

Volvo Trucks said it will deliver 20 FH Electric heavy-duty trucks to Amazon in Germany by the end of the year. (Photo: Volvo Trucks)

Heavy goods vehicles and other commercial vehicles make up around 36% of Germany’s domestic transport emissions, which makes road transport decarbonization an important issue to address, Volvo said.

With a battery capacity of 540 kWh and a continuous output power of 490 kW, the FH Electric has a range of up to 300 km. But Volvo said it can be extended to 500 km during a normal workday if a top-up charge is added.

“Big actors in the transport business play a key role in leading the industry’s efforts to lower its carbon footprint,” said Jessica Sandström, senior vice president of Product Management at Volvo Trucks. “Therefore I´m glad that Amazon is working with us to help reduce their emissions in longer and heavier transport assignments.”

Volvo Trucks started series production of heavy-duty electric trucks in September.

“Globally we now have six electric truck models ready to order and in series production to meet the increasing demand for decarbonizing goods transports,” said Sandström. “This is an encouraging step forward for reducing climate change impacts.”

The electric versions of its most important product range – the heavy-duty Volvo FH, Volvo FM and Volvo FMX trucks – will play a vital role in reaching Volvo Trucks global target that in 2030, 50% of all new Volvo trucks sold will be battery or fuel cell electric. The electric heavy-duty trucks can operate at a total weight of 44 tonnes and the three models mentioned represent around two thirds of the company’s sales.

For Amazon, the trucks will replace their diesel counterparts and play a key role in electrification initiatives through its transportation chain.

“Amazon is committed to decarbonizing its fleet, and the middle mile has been a notoriously hard-to-abate sector,” said Andreas Marschner, vice president Transportation Services Europe at Amazon. “That’s why welcoming these electric heavy goods vehicles from Volvo into our fleet is such a critical milestone. We’re operating one of the fastest-growing commercial transportation electrification programs, and we’ll continue to invest and innovate to decarbonize and deliver packages to customers with zero emissions.”