Video: Volvo FL Electric powering up for NZ market

Volvo Trucks NZ is getting closer to delivering its very first fully electric models to customers following a validation programme on local roads. 

The medium-duty FL Electric has been in the country since April and is being put through its paces in a pre-commercial trial to validate performance data from Volvo’s headquarters in Sweden.

Motor Trucks Distributor NZ (MTD), which distributes Volvo Trucks to the New Zealand market, expects the 16-tonne FL Electric to be an ideal solution for zero emission metropolitan deliveries. 

MTD general manager Clive Jones says customers could expect to take the first orders of the battery electric truck by late this year or early 2023. 

Even heavier versions are on the horizon with the New Zealand order book due to open as early as 2024 for the brand’s heavy duty EV range up to 44 tonnes, he says. 

Globally, Volvo has signalled its intention to offer the entire Volvo Trucks product range fossil-free by 2040.  

“The next few months will see us go through the approval and training process to test the FL’s performance under New Zealand conditions,” Jones says. 

“It will also give our on-the-ground technical service and support teams the chance to do some hands-on training, putting our team in a great position facing alternative technologies,” he adds.

The FL Electric has a 600V system with four traction batteries, 425Nm of torque and a two-speed gearbox. 

The batteries have an expected life of eight to 10 years. At the point when the long-term value of an electric vehicle battery becomes limited for the trucking industry, there is the opportunity for a second life. Electric vehicle batteries retain 70% to 80% of their original capacity and can be used in applications within construction and residential settings. 

According to Edward Jobson, senior strategy director at Volvo Trucks Sweden, battery production is 80%-90% cleaner than diesel production – and there’s an environmental payback of less than a year on commercial vehicles. Environmental payback is classed as the time required to generate as much energy as was consumed during production and lifetime operation of the system. 

Meanwhile, the New Zealand validation tests are finding out how different driving styles impact battery range of the FL Electric – which European trials have set at 150-300km depending upon conditions and load. 

Batteries can fully charge over a six-to-eight-hour period using a standard charging system. However, this accelerates with a 150kW charger which gets a flat battery to 85% in just 60 minutes.

MTD senior product engineer Jamie Bell says the FL Electric is all about the delivery of smooth power and immediate torque that outperforms a diesel engine. 

“There’s no delay in pulling away from a standing start with an electric powered truck.

“Where a diesel engine takes some time to get to the top of the torque curve, the FL is there immediately,” Bell says. 

Across the ditch, Linfox have already been testing the FL Electric in its BevChain beverage logistics business fleet in Melbourne’s outer west. 

The New Zealand transport industry will get a first chance to view the model at the EROAD Fleet Day 2022 on July 20 at the Globox Arena, Claudelands in Hamilton. 

A track day is planned later in the year for Volvo Trucks NZ customers and friends and the announcement of a key customer partnership for the commercial phase of the Volvo FL Electric trial is also expected in September.