Volvo puts electric truck charging and range to the test in Australia’s extreme heat

Volvo Group says it has recently completed a multi-faceted testing program of its FL Electric to see how fast charging and Australia’s extreme heat can affect the truck’s range, battery charging, and vehicle performance.

The first Volvo FL Electric truck landed on Australian shores in January of 2021, following its unveiling back in the first half of 2019 as part of a pre-series developed in collaboration with selected customers, before sales began in select European markets by the end of the same year.

Destined for trials and evaluation with Australian logistics and supply chain company Linfox, the Volvo FL Electric was recently given the thumbs up by Linfox driver Rob Smith, who drove the FL Electric for over seven months and covered 6,000 kilometres.

Now, local Volvo engineers have put an FL Electric, equipped with the second-generation 265kW battery packs, to the test in a series of on-road tests in temperatures of more than 35°C.

The truck was loaded to a gross weight of 15,000kg and covered over 730-kilometres over a variety of traffic conditions and terrain, including a climb up the 6% gradient Toowoomba bypass as well as inner-city traffic conditions.

The good news is that, while Volvo’s second-generation battery packs have a predicted energy consumption of 0.9kWh per kilometre, Volvo Group Australia’s local testing found consumption to be slightly lower at 0.73kWh per kilometre.

Impressively, the potential of regenerative braking was dramatically highlighted coming down the Toowoomba range, with braking energy alone enough to replenish battery power by nearly 5%.

“Temperature is the enemy of battery performance in any vehicle,” said Paul Illmer, vice president for technology business development at Volvo Group Australia.

“For our industry to go electric our customers need to know we’ve tried and tested our technology in adverse conditions rather than report contrived figures derived from testing in a controlled environment.

“And I’m extremely happy to see the results of this testing, which proves the FL Electric is a viable option for a range of urban distribution roles while being able to tolerate Australia’s harsh climate.”

Volvo Group Australia expects to start commercial sales of the FL Electric this year, which boasts a gross vehicle weight of 16,000kg and delivers 130kW continuous power to the rear wheels via a 2-speed automated transmission.

Depending on conditions, the Volvo FL Electric should boast range of up to 300-kilometres, with charging times ranging from 11 hours on a 22kWh AC charger, down to only 2 hours on a 150kWh DC charger.