Volvo Trucks has opened its first battery assembly plant, located in the city of Ghent, in Belgium. Announced on Tuesday, the battery plant will supply ready-to-install batteries for the company’s full-electric heavy-duty trucks.
The new battery assembly plant will build battery packs using cells and modules from Samsung SDI that will be tailor-made for Volvo Trucks’ range of heavy-duty electric trucks – the Volvo FH, Volvo FM, and Volvo FMX, with series production expected to start in the third quarter of the year.
“This investment shows our strong commitment to electrifying truck transportation,” said Roger Alm, President of Volvo Trucks. “By 2030, at least 50 percent of all trucks we sell globally will be electric and by 2040, we will be a carbon-neutral company.”
Each battery pack will have a capacity of 90kWh, and each truck can be fitted with up to six battery packs for a total of 540kWh, with the number of batteries depending on the customer’s specific range and load capacity demands.
“By integrating the battery assembly process in our production flow, we can shorten lead times for our customers and secure high-performing batteries, while at the same time increase circularity,” said Roger Alm.
Importantly, every battery built by Volvo Trucks are designed so as to be later remanufactured, refurbished, and reused, ensuring a more sustainable and circular approach to battery manufacturing.
Moreover, the Ghent assembly plant is powered by 100% renewable energy.
“We started series-production of electric trucks already in 2019 and are leading the market both in Europe and North America,” said Alm.
“With the rapid development of charging networks, and improvements in battery technology, I am convinced that we will see a rapid transformation of the entire truck industry in the very near future.”
Volvo is ramping up towards the start of production for its heavy-duty electric trucks, with pre-orders recently opening in the United States for the Volvo FH, FM, and FMX, ahead of production which is expected to start in the Northern Autumn later this year.
Volvo Trucks’ range of heavy-duty electric trucks will join the company’s electric range of medium-duty trucks which include the Volvo FE, Volvo FL, and Volvo VNR, all of which are already in serial production.
Integrating a battery assembly plant at the Volvo Group’s Ghent location will help to reduce lead times on truck manufacturing, the importance of which cannot be overstated, considering that, by the end of the year, Volvo Trucks will be offering a total of six electric truck models, globally.
The expanded range of electric trucks will only serve to secure Volvo Trucks’ dominance in North America and particularly in Europe, where it already has over 40% of the region’s market for electric trucks.
Joshua S. Hill is a Melbourne-based journalist who has been writing about climate change, clean technology, and electric vehicles for over 15 years. He has been reporting on electric vehicles and clean technologies for Renew Economy and The Driven since 2012. His preferred mode of transport is his feet.