The Prime Minister has joined Volvo Group Australia at its home base today to witness the first Australian-made electric truck roll off the production line.
Anthony Albanese joined Volvo in Wacol, Queensland to mark the defining moment for local manufacturing, with the nation’s first locally built OEM electric truck rolling off the production line.
The trucks have been built at the same Wacol facility where Volvo has manufactured trucks for Australian conditions for more than 50 years.
Albanese was joined by Volvo Group executive vice president Roger Alm, Volvo Group Australia president and CEO Martin Merrick, Linfox CEO Mark Mazurek, Australian Made Campaign chief executive Ben Lazzaro and Electric Vehicle Council CEO Julie Delvecchio.
Volvo says producing battery-electric trucks on Australian soil proves the country has both the capability and the ambition to manufacture heavy vehicles with zero-tailpipe emissions to a global standard.
To prepare the local team, Volvo brought in international experts to train and upskill Australian workers, who are now able to build world-class Volvo electric trucks and lay the foundation for future production as demand grows.
“Australia is an important market for Volvo Trucks, and building electric trucks here is a clear sign of our long-term commitment. It reflects Volvo Group’s confidence in Australian manufacturing and in the people behind it,” Alm says.
“We are convinced that electric trucks will play a key role in the future of transport. Producing them in Australia will help drive the sustainability transformation, while bringing us even closer to our customers and their needs.”
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Transport accounts for around 22 per cent of Australia’s carbon emissions, with heavy freight a critical part of that challenge. The shift to electric vehicles is essential to Australia meeting its net-zero commitments, a transition Volvo Trucks says industry and government must drive together through demand, supportive policy settings, the harmonisation of road weight rules across states, procurement commitments and investment in charging and grid infrastructure.
“My government is backing a future made in Australia – investing in local jobs, manufacturing and industry,” Albanese says.
“We have all the resources to be a clean energy superpower – under the ground and in the sky – and projects like this show just what’s possible.
“Electric-made trucks built right here in Brisbane will keep Australia moving now and into the future.”
Merrick labelled it a “proud day” for Volvo Trucks and Australian manufacturing.
“For more than 50 years we have built Volvo trucks for Australian conditions here in Wacol, and today we have built the first electric truck ever manufactured by an OEM in this country,” he says.
“It proves what our people and our facilities are capable of. These trucks were built right here by an Australian team we have trained to a global standard. This is proof of concept, and a foundation we are ready to build on.”
As the customer of these electric trucks, Linfox Australia and New Zealand, through CEO Mark Mazurek, welcomed the support to the local economy provided by the heavy vehicles. “We have been an early adopter of electric vehicles, beginning our sustainability journey more than a decade ago,” he says.
“This milestone is a prime example of what the industry can achieve in partnership with local manufacturers and government. These Australian made electric prime movers will ensure we continue to service our customers with a reliable fleet that is safe, secure, efficient and sustainable.”
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