The manufacturer says it wants to see fewer trucks in peak urban traffic: the electric vehicles, with their quieter and lower emission credentials, will mean more goods can be transported at night.
“Without noise and exhaust emissions, deliveries could take place outside peak periods, like for example in the late evening or at night. This would reduce the burden on the roads during daytime rush-hour traffic, allowing both the road network and vehicles to be utilised far more effectively than today,” says Claes Nilsson, president of Volvo Trucks.
It’s something he terms ‘electromobility’, which he says is part of Volvo’s long-term commitment for more sustainable transport solutions.
Better utilisation of roads in off-peak periods could mean many smaller vehicles could be replaced by fewer larger trucks, he explains, with a 26-tonne distribution truck having over ten times the load capacity of a 3.5-tonne van.
“We believe in full electrification for urban distribution as a first step... This is only the beginning,” adds Nilsson.