Further improvements to the driveline of electric vehicles was on display at IAA Transportation 2022 with Volvo Trucks unveiling a completely new, fully electric rear axle, freeing up space for more batteries and potentially longer range for Volvo’s BEVs. Volvo Trucks has the widest offer of battery electric trucks in the industry, with six different models now in series production.
As orginally reported in Commercial Motor, the new e-axle integrates the electric motors and the transmission into the rear axle. More batteries mean longer range, which creates opportunities for long distance transports to also be electrified. On the fuel cell electric trucks, that will be introduced in the second half of this decade, the additional space comes in handy for installing other components.
“This is a breakthrough for electric trucks and a clear signal that there will be a huge demand for public fast-chargers for heavy trucks in the near future, not the least along highways, says Jessica Sandström, senior vice-president global truck production at Volvo Trucks. “Volvo Trucks will start series production of trucks with the new e-axle in a few years from now and it will complement the current line-up of battery electric trucks.”
At present, Volvo Trucks has a three-path strategy to reach zero emissions; battery electric, fuel cell electric and combustion engines that run on renewable fuels like biogas, HVO or even green hydrogen. “Different technical solutions are needed to tackle climate change, since the availability of energy and fuel infrastructure differs between countries and regions and also between different transport assignments,” concludes Sandström.
