Sweden’s Volvo (VOLVb.ST) will begin production of its full-size electric trucks at its Ghent factory in Belgium, the truckmaker said on Thursday. The Ghent plant is the largest production site for Volvo trucks, with a yearly capacity of around 45,000 trucks. It will be building three different models – the Volvo FH Electric, the Volvo FM Electric, and the Volvo FMX Electric. These battery-powered vehicles have a maximum operating weight of 44 tonnes and can be tailored to meet diverse transport needs.
The Ghent plant will assemble the electric trucks on the same production lines as their diesel and gas counterparts, which gives it high flexibility in meeting various demands. The battery packs will be sourced from the nearby Ghent battery assembly plant, conveniently next to the production line. This enables the Ghent plant to be CO2-positive, thereby minimizing its environmental impact.
This marks a significant step in the company’s electrification efforts and brings its total number of electric trucks to four across Europe and the United States. The other locations producing electric Volvo trucks are Blainville in France, which started up production of electric trucks for refuse handling and city distribution in 2019, New River Valley in the US, and the Tuve plant in Sweden, where it was the first global manufacturer to put its heaviest range into serial production last year.
Ghent will assemble cells and modules from Samsung SDI into customized battery packs for its heavy-duty electric trucks. These batteries will be used in the Volvo FH Electric, Volvo FM Electric, and Volvo FMX Electric. The Ghent plant has also installed a wind power project on the premises that is expected to supply half of its electricity requirements. The remaining power will come from certified green energy produced at a new pellet-fired biomass plant and from solar panels on the plant’s roof.
The new production will not affect the existing output of trucks at the Ghent plant, which is expected to grow as demand picks up for electric vehicles worldwide. The Ghent plant is a significant part of the Volvo Group’s global network of plants that produces trucks, buses, construction equipment, marine and industrial engines, and parts and services. The group, headquartered in Gothenburg, employs around 100,000 people and serves customers in almost 190 countries. Its net sales in 2022 amounted to SEK 473 billion.
Founded in 1927, the Volvo Group is committed to shaping a future landscape of sustainable transport and infrastructure solutions. The company combines truck, buses, and construction equipment production with power solutions for marine and industrial applications, financing, and services that boost customers’ uptime and productivity. The group is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm.
