The world head of Volvo Trucks, Roger Alm, states the case for electric trucks, with Australia high on the agenda.
In close conversation over dinner and a few drinks, it’s easy to form the opinion that the connection between Volvo Truck president Roger Alm and Volvo Group Australia (VGA) chief Martin Merrick goes well beyond corporate structure.
No question, as executive vice-president of Volvo Group and global head of Volvo Trucks, Roger Alm’s the boss. The big boss. But there’s something else, something more supple than the chain of corporate command, that seems to bond the Swede and the Scot on a more fundamental footing.
A mutual regard, perhaps, of working class backgrounds and for each, a fateful, grateful rise to unimagined levels on the corporate ladder. Whatever it is, there appears a genuine affinity and shared resolve that the trucking world is on the cusp of the most challenging yet exciting time in modern history, with Volvo primed to play its part at the pointy end of what can only be described as a revolution in automotive power.
Speaking at Volvo’s Sustainability Summit at VGA’s Wacol manufacturing plant the day before the Brisbane Truck Show, a fervent Roger Alm declared, “This is the biggest transformation since the move from horses.”
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Here is the future, according to Volvo Truck supremo Roger Alm at the introduction of Australia’s first FH Electric truck. “We are committed to the transformation, in Europe, North America and Australia.”
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Similarly, “In 35 years at Volvo I have never known a more exciting time,” Martin Merrick would soon after remark.
They were, of course, referring to the accelerating emergence of electric trucks and specifically, Volvo’s absolute commitment to the pursuit of zero emissions.
With the first Australian version of the flagship FH Electric parked alongside during his address, Roger Alm’s passion for a decarbonised road transport realm and Volvo’s determination to be the spearhead of the charge to zero emissions were unequivocal.
“We are committed to the transformation, in Europe, North America and Australia,” he would assert at the end of his presentation before delivering a powerful message. “We are doing this for a higher purpose. It is for the next generation. Children today (are) adults tomorrow, and our ultimate aim is to give the next generation a better world to live in.”
This was no contrivance nor shallow attempt to gain the moral high ground. It was, just as he did at the Hanover Truck Show in Germany last year in front of a huge international audience where Volvo’s entire stand was dedicated to electric trucks, a statement of sincere conviction to do the things that need to be done to arrest the epochal effects of climate change.
The challenge, obviously enough, is to make zero emission trucks operationally and commercially practical, and for Volvo, meeting the challenge is well under way with six battery electric models already in series production – FL, FE, FMX, FM, FH and in North America, the VNR conventional. All but the VNR Electric are now available in Australia and the plan is to be building FM Electric and FH Electric models at the Wacol plant by 2027 or thereabouts.
As for the likelihood of a VNR Electric appearing in Australia, a resolute Roger Alm bluntly refuted the suggestion.
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Significantly though, Martin Merrick said VGA has around 80 orders for electric trucks in the pipeline, including a recent order for an FMX Electric from Queensland Fire and Emergency Services in addition to an FMX running on fossil-free hydro-treated vegetable oil (HVO).
Most notable, however, is an order for Australia’s first FH Electric model as well as a medium-duty FL Electric from high-profile Brisbane-based company Followmont Transport.
Still, as Roger Alm conceded, it’s very early days for electric trucks. In Europe and the US, he says Volvo has notched around 50 percent of all electric sales and has delivered more than 5000 electric trucks in 40 countries. The numbers are, nonetheless, small on Volvo’s global scale but the ball is rolling and picking up speed.
Consequently, it’s a definite Roger Alm who reasserts that by 2030, 50 percent of all Volvo Trucks production will be battery electric or fuel cell electric models and just a decade later, 100 percent of Volvo’s global production will be trucks with zero emissions.
These are, he concedes, very ambitious targets but they are, he says with even more certainty, totally achievable. The path ahead, however, demands constant focus on customer needs and while Volvo is expecting a massive shift from fossil fuel to zero emission powertrains, Roger Alm is adamant it will require a “customer by customer, segment by segment” approach.
Likewise, technological advances must continue to make zero emission trucks ever more viable and cost-effective. Visiting Australia with Roger Alm was Per-Erik Lindström, senior vice-president of Volvo Trucks International, who reaffirmed Volvo’s intention to be 100 per cent fossil-free by 2040.
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Volvo Group Australia (VGA) chief, Martin Merrick, says VGA has around 80 orders for electric trucks already in the pipeline
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“We have the financial muscle to achieve this,” he said firmly, adding that the path to 2040 is multi-pronged, with fossil-free alternative fuels such as HVO playing a necessary role. In due course, he continued, software technology and critical developments such as electric wheel ends (effectively an e-axle which combines the functions of a gearbox and rear axle to provide the space and weight savings required to package more electric power) and fuel cell electric powertrains will dramatically enhance the scope of zero emission models. Right now though, rigorous testing and research is essential to determine the viability and durability of all new systems, Per-Erik confirmed. It could, for instance, be another five years or so before an e-axle and fuel cell electric truck are broadly available.
In the meantime, Australia’s path to zero emissions for trucks appears littered with political potholes. The almost total omission of trucks from the Federal Government’s recent Electric Vehicle Strategy was more than a tad disappointing, Martin Merrick agreed.
It’s no secret that to enhance the operational merit of heavy-duty electric trucks such as Volvo’s FH and FM, there needs to be an increase in front axle weight capacity to 7.5 tonnes. Without that increase, heavy-duty electric trucks will simply not have the battery capacity for longer range operation.
“Legislation is currently the drawback,” Martin remarked before adding, “If we don’t get legislative change, we can’t meet our 2030 targets.”
Accordingly, he insists the onus is twofold – on industry to advise and lobby for change and on governments to make the change.
In effect, global corporations are doing their bit to make the world an environmentally better place but in Australia’s case, vital decisions are firmly in the hands of Federal and State governments. And when it comes to trucks, political momentum seems to have stalled.
As a thoughtful Martin Merrick recently stated, “No one can get to zero emissions on their own. Industry, government and other stakeholders all have a responsibility to work together to reduce emissions.”
Absolutely!