Volvo VNR Electric

Volvo Trucks North America introduced the battery-electric VNR Electric in December 2020, when orders opened for the first model, and described it as the first commercially available Class 8 battery-electric truck in North America.

It is assembled at the New River Valley plant in Dublin, Virginia, on the same line as the diesel VNR.

The VNR Electric keeps the cab and chassis of the diesel VNR, without the diesel engine and conventional transmission. The batteries are mounted along the sides of the frame, and the instrument cluster shows the state of charge in place of the tachometer and oil pressure gauge. The air compressor sits under the driver’s door. The batteries make the truck about 1,814 kg (4,000 lb) heavier than a comparable diesel, and a 6×2 day cab weighs about 9,072 kg (20,000 lb) empty.

The first-generation truck of 2020 had four lithium-ion batteries with a total capacity of 264 kWh. Volvo quoted a range of up to 241 km (150 miles) for the straight truck and up to 193 km (120 miles) for the tractors, and a top speed of 105 km/h (65 mph). Charging at 150 kW with a CCS connector gave an 80 percent charge in about 70 minutes.

Three versions were offered: a 4×2 straight truck with a gross vehicle weight rating of 15,059 kg (33,200 lb), a 4×2 tractor with a gross combination weight of 29,937 kg (66,000 lb) and a 6×2 tractor with a combination weight of up to 37,195 kg (82,000 lb).

In January 2022 Volvo announced the next-generation VNR Electric, which entered production in the second quarter of 2022. The four-battery pack grew from 264 kWh to 375 kWh (reports also give 377 kWh), and a new six-battery option raised the total to 565 kWh. Volvo says the new packs are more energy-dense, with up to 40 percent more storage capacity per battery, and a battery thermal management system was added. Range rose by up to 85 percent, to up to 443 km (275 miles) with six batteries. Volvo states usable energy of 300 kWh for the 375 kWh pack and 452 kWh for the 565 kWh pack.

The 2022 update also added two 6×4 versions, a straight truck and a tractor, so the range now has five configurations. The 4×2 straight truck has a range of up to 370 km (230 miles) and a weight rating of up to 15,059 kg (33,200 lb). The 6×4 straight truck reaches up to 306 km (190 miles) at up to 24,494 kg (54,000 lb).

With four batteries the tractors reach up to 282 km (175 miles), at up to 29,937 kg (66,000 lb) for the 4×2 and up to 37,195 kg (82,000 lb) for the 6×2 and 6×4. With six batteries the 6×2 and 6×4 tractors reach up to 443 km (275 miles) at up to 37,195 kg (82,000 lb); one source gives up to 40,007 kg (88,200 lb) for these versions, and another lists the 6×2 straight-truck axle option as an alternative to the 6×4. Volvo also publishes typical ranges at a full charge of 296, 245, 225 and 354 km (184, 152, 140 and 220 miles) for the 230, 190, 175 and 275 mile versions.

The electric driveline is rated at 340 kW (455 hp) continuous output with up to 5,492 Nm (4,051 lb-ft) of peak torque. It works with a two-speed I-Shift automated transmission, and Volvo says the electric drive gives instant maximum torque and smooth starts. Reports differ on whether the truck has one integrated motor or a pair of motors. Top speed is 105 km/h (65 mph), and one report gives 109 km/h (68 mph) for the second generation.

The second-generation truck charges on DC at up to 250 kW, which gives an 80 percent charge in about 60 minutes for the four-battery version and about 90 minutes for the six-battery version. The US specification lists a CCS1 connector, and the Canadian specification states that CCS1 and CCS2 are both available. Regenerative braking returns between 5 and 15 percent of brake energy to the batteries, depending on the duty cycle. Volvo also monitors the batteries and forecasts their remaining useful life.

Volvo Active Driver Assist, a forward collision warning and braking system using a camera and radar, is standard, as is lane departure warning. The batteries are protected by a side impact barrier integrated into the battery box mount. Every VNR Electric comes with the Volvo Gold Contract, which covers scheduled maintenance, towing, uptime services, battery monitoring and repairs, including the batteries and the electric driveline. No purchase price was published.

Early customers included Performance Team, a Maersk company, which ordered 16 trucks in September 2021 for regional work in Southern California. By August 2024 Volvo reported more than 540 VNR Electric trucks in customer operation and more than 6.5 million miles (10.5 million km) of service.

In December 2024 the figure was almost 600 trucks and 10 million customer miles (16.1 million km), with the fleet covering more than 322,000 km (200,000 miles) a week. Port drayage firm Hight Logistics, for example, planned an electric fleet of 27 VNR Electric trucks, including trucks on order in 2024, for work at the ports of Long Beach, Los Angeles and Oakland. Volvo’s certified electric vehicle dealer network had 69 locations in 28 US states and four Canadian provinces by the end of 2024.

Related models:
Volvo VNR

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