Volvo Launches Electric Trucks with Up to 700-km Range

What it means for hiring

Volvo Trucks has started series production of its next electric range in Gothenburg and Ghent. The FH Aero Electric covers up to 700 km per charge and charges from 20 to 80 percent in about 50 minutes on 700 kW megawatt charging, or about 85 minutes on 350 kW CCS. The FH, FM and FMX Electric reach up to 470 km, with up to 540 kW from a dual-motor drivetrain and an eight-speed powershift e-gearbox. The trucks run at up to 48 tonnes gross combination weight with up to 28 tonnes of payload.

Heavy trucks are where electrification gets hardest: megawatt charging, high-voltage batteries that have to last a million kilometres, and drivetrains that must match diesel on hills and heavy loads. Series production in two European plants means that engineering moves from development teams into production, validation and service. Volvo, Daimler Truck, Scania, MAN and their suppliers need high-voltage battery, e-drive and charging engineers, and test and homologation engineers who understand commercial vehicles. Passenger car electric vehicle engineers are the obvious source, and after a slower year for car programmes some of them will listen to an employer that is now in series production.

Read the original at Electronic Design .