The Volvo Trucks FH, FM and FMX series of trucks are the most emblematic models of the Swedish brand’s heavy vehicles, representing 66% of its sales volume and, at the same time, being supposed to be the trucks capable of handling more weight. It is precisely these models, the largest of which are tractors for pulling semi-trailers, that the Swedish manufacturer began mass-producing, in a 100% electric version.
After a period of development, Volvo Trucks, a company that today has nothing in common with Volvo Cars, started producing heavy-duty battery electric vehicles. They are not different trucks from those mounted by traditional diesel mechanics, but the same ones, now adapted to the needs of batteries and electric motors.
These changes allow Volvo to maintain the diesel-powered FH and FM, 44-tonne traction semi-trailer tractors, and also include the Electric FH and Electric FM in its offer, for those customers who can use models with a similar load capacity. but with less autonomy and longer recharge time, despite claiming lower usage costs. The Volvo FMX Electric is a slightly different heavy-duty vehicle, with a high payload capacity, but without the tractor head associated with a trailer, making it suitable for mines and large civil construction sites.
Volvo believes that this approach will enhance its ability to offer a 50% electric truck range by 2030. The fact that the manufacturer starts with the largest and most expensive vehicles is due to the possibility that these can more easily absorb the still high costs and weight of batteries, which everyone hopes will be reduced in the coming years. accelerated way.
Volvo electric trucks will be manufactured in Sweden, in Gothenburg, with the packages of batteries to be assembled based on cells generated by Samsung, and the assembly of the packages takes place in Ghent, in a Volvo Trucks factory. The work of Volvo commercial services is made much easier with regard to electric trucks, as more than 2600 customers who have already confirmed their ordersof which a thousand refer to the higher tonnage models, respectively the FH, FM and FMX, all of them in Electric version.
These three models of electric trucks have two, three or four axles and They mount two or three electric motors, the latter solution providing more power and more force, reaching 600 kW (about 816 hp) and a torque of 2400 Nm. To power these engines, Volvo has developed battery modules with 90 kWh, and the FM Electric can mount between two and six modules, which guarantees capacities between 180 kWh and 540 kWh. The FH Electric and FMX Electric can only use four or five modules, that is between 360 and 450 kWh. The batteries can be recharged at 43 kW in AC, or 250 kW in DC, guaranteeing a range of more than 300 km, with the largest capacity battery, even at full charge.
Source: Observadora
