Sweden-based Volvo Trucks is opening its very first battery assembly plant. Located in Ghent, Belgium, the plant will supply ready-to-install batteries for the brand's full-electric heavy-duty trucks.
Cells and modules from Samsung SDI will be assembled at the facility to make battery packs that are tailor-made for Volvo's heavy-duty electric range of trucks, namely Volvo FH, Volvo FM and Volvo FMX.Series production of the electric trucks is scheduled to start in the third quarter of this year.
"This investment shows our strong commitment to electrifying truck transportation. 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," said Roger Alm, President of Volvo Trucks. The plant itself is powered by 100 percent renewable energy.
"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", he added.
Each battery pack has a capacity of 90 kWh and the customer can choose to have up to six battery packs (540 kWh) in a truck, says Volvo Trucks. The number of batteries depends on each customer's specific range and load capacity demands. The batteries are also designed in such a way that they can later be remanufactured, refurbished and reused.
With the production of three heavy-duty full electric models starting this year in Europe, Volvo Trucks will offer a total of six electric truck models globally, covering everything from city distribution and refuse handling to regional transport and construction work.
Roger Alm further said, "We started series-production of electric trucks already in 2019 and are leading the market both in Europe and North America. 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".