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Volvo Trucks Unveils New Axle for Extended Electric Truck Range
Volvo Trucks unveiled its fully electric rear axle that is designed to free up space for batteries, the company announced Sept. 19.
The e-axle was presented at the IAA Transportation show in Hanover, Germany.
The design allows for more batteries on a truck by integrating the electric motors and the transmission into the rear axle. This translates to a longer range for electric trucks.
“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,” said Jessica Sandström, senior vice president of global product management at Volvo Trucks. “We will continue with our versatile battery-electric trucks that are already in production. They can currently cover a wide range of transport assignments. In a few years, we will add this new rear e-axle for customers covering longer routes than today.”
Volvo Trucks currently has six different models of battery-electric trucks in serial production.
The company will start serial production of cabover engine trucks with the new e-axle in a few years. This plan is part of a three-path strategy to reach zero emissions. That includes battery-electric, fuel cell electric and combustion engines that run on renewable fuels such as biogas. — Transport Topics
