Volvo Trucks gets largest VNR Electric order

Volvo Trucks North America said a Southern California warehousing and distribution company has placed the largest order for VNR Electric trucks to date.

Warehousing and distribution company Performance Team – A Maersk Co., has placed an order for 16 Volvo VNR Electric Class 8 trucks, which Volvo said is the largest commercial order for the VNR Electric truck to date.

The VNR Electric model from Volvo Trucks North America is the first battery-electric Class 8 truck in Performance Team’s fleet, which will be on the road by end of year. When put into service, all 16 vehicles will be carrying regional loads daily to customers across Southern California.

“The shift toward electrification is an exciting time in the commercial truck space and Performance Team is leading the way with its largest order of the only battery-electric Class 8 model in scalable serial production today,” said Peter Voorhoeve, president of Volvo Trucks North America. “Through its commitment to deploy 16 Volvo VNR Electrics by the end of 2021, Performance Team has demonstrated a strong commitment to environmental sustainability, and this is another great step forward in reducing the trucking industry’s overall carbon footprint.”

The acquisition of the new Volvo VNR Electric models is part of Maersk’s Environment Social Governance (ESG) strategy to decarbonize logistics. Performance Team is participating in a South Coast Air Quality Management District grant to reduce emissions in the transportation sector by replacing diesel trucks with electric trucks and creating new, future charging infrastructure. The El Segundo, California-based company operates a North America warehousing and distribution network of 45 locations and a fleet of 215 trucks.

“We’re seeing a 30% growth rate in our Warehousing and Distribution business,” said Jason Walker, executive vice president of operations of Performance Team. “Customers are looking for more truck power to meet high volume delivery demands. This new order of Volvo VNR Electric trucks will give us firsthand experience on their performance carrying regional loads and environmental benefits. Our findings will help determine next steps in our fleet modernization and the electric infrastructure necessary for future operations.”

The purchase of the VNR Electric models is through Volvo Trucks’ dealership TEC Equipment, which is the company’s largest dealership on the West Coast and was recently named the first Volvo EV Certified Dealer in North America.

Volvo Trucks North America began taking customer orders for its VNR Electric model in December 2020. Production of the Volvo VNR Electric began in the second quarter of 2021 at the company’s New River Valley manufacturing plant in Dublin, Va.

Volvo Trucks North America said three VNR Electric trucks will be deployed on local logistics routes servicing the company’s New River Valley (NRV) truck assembly operations by the end of the year.

VNR Electrics to supply New River Valley plant

Volvo Trucks North America also announced that three 6x2 VNR Electric trucks will be deployed on local logistics routes servicing the company’s New River Valley (NRV) truck assembly operations in Dublin by the end of the year. The vehicles will transport inbound parts and components daily to the plant where every Volvo truck is assembled in North America.

Each truck is anticipated to complete up to 16 roundtrips per day. Utilizing battery-electric vehicles on supply-chain logistics routes is a key step in achieving Volvo Trucks’ global sustainability target to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040.

“An important part of Volvo Trucks’ sustainability strategy is to reduce CO2 from our own operations globally and putting the Volvo VNR Electric to work servicing our NRV operations is just the beginning,” said Voorhoeve. “As an added benefit, the rolling hills around Dublin will demonstrate the world-class capability and durability of the Volvo VNR Electrics as they go to work for us every day.”