Most agree that vehicle electrification is a crucial necessity to achieve global climate goals. However, it also brings a host of challenges that need to be addressed. What challenges does Volvo Trucks see in its work processes, and how are they adapting to meet the new needs of their customers?
The shift to electrification impacts many areas. We were curious about how customer interactions, service, and internal work need to be adjusted to meet the demands of the future. Robert Celec, product manager at Volvo Trucks, took the time to share how they are currently working on this transition.
Significant time needed for transition and training
The transition to electric drivetrains means Volvo must invest considerable time in retraining staff and partners. Workshops and personnel need to be adapted to handle the new trucks during repairs and vehicle handovers to customers and drivers.
Volvo has strengthened its organization with personnel specializing in electric trucks to support dealers, customers, and bodybuilders with questions about both the product and charging solutions. Previously, the focus was on selling and maintaining vehicles, but today, there’s also a need to help ensure customers can charge their electric vehicles.
How far can you drive and how long does it take to charge?
Charging and infrastructure issues have often been the biggest challenges, and the expansion of public charging networks for heavy vehicles faced some delays but gained momentum in 2024. It’s also crucial to resolve potential vehicle problems quickly enough so that customers feel their productivity remains at the same high level as with other drivetrains. Uptime, longer driving ranges, and shorter charging times are essential to meet customer demands for transporting the same amount of goods within the same driving and rest times. The desire to transition to zero-emission transport is strong, but without ensuring total cost economy, it will be difficult to convert the majority of vehicle fleets in the long term.
Therefore, it’s important that financial support for the purchase of zero-emission vehicles remains available until a larger population of vehicles is in operation. Changes in diesel prices have affected the pace of the transition, but there is still significant interest in electric trucks. The number of registered electric trucks increased by more than 30% in the first six months of 2024. The most common questions are always, “How far can you drive?” and “How long does it take to charge?” Here, it’s important to dive into more details to understand the customer’s specific needs.
“If there’s one thing to highlight to keep the pace up during the transition, it’s that we must work closely together—all parties involved: manufacturers, bodybuilders, customers, and transport buyers.” – RC
Where is it easiest to transition to electrification?
The transport industry is divided into different segments, and some of them are better positioned to succeed with electrification. Distribution and waste management are the segments that can transition the fastest, given their driving distances. It’s even easier if access to parking lots with charging options is expanded since the vehicles often park overnight.
Local charging
It’s incredibly important to have the ability to charge near where the driving is performed. Having to deviate from the route to charge leads to unnecessary time loss. Volvo had a customer in Gothenburg who couldn’t establish overnight charging stations near where the vehicles were parked. The customer had to fast-charge publicly before or after their shifts, resulting in significant time loss and higher operational costs than initially planned. In that case, Volvo helped the customer find new parking locations where overnight charging was possible, saving a total of 1.5 hours each day.
Route simulations for increased profitability
One of the challenges has been calculating whether it’s even possible to drive electric on certain routes. Here, Volvo, together with the customer, has been able to perform route simulations with a tool developed for sales support. Previously, customers could have a good understanding of how to specify the vehicle. For electric trucks, it requires more detailed specification assistance from the seller to ensure the truck is ordered with an optimized configuration for the specific task. Previously, you would specify an engine and a tank that was large enough to avoid frequent refueling. With an electric truck, you must constantly consider driving range and payload at the best price to make the total cost of ownership (TCO) calculation work.
Volvo dares to lead the way
The trend today is that more customers understand there will be more powertrain options than just the current diesel engines, even though they will remain for many years. More energy-efficient and sustainable transport solutions are in demand.
By offering the most sustainable transport alternatives, companies have the opportunity to secure new transport contracts. Volvo is leading the way by setting new requirements that transport services performed for them must be sustainable or carried out with electric trucks—that’s where the change begins.
