Volvo Trucks, Danfoss partner on 24-hour electric trucks

As part of a larger partnership between Volvo Trucks and Danfoss, focusing on pioneering sustainable electric transport operations, Volvo announced it delivered three heavy-duty line-haul electric trucks to Danfoss. The e-trucks will operate in fixed routes between Danfoss sites in Denmark, and one of the trucks will operate 24 hours a day, five days per week, without significant charging downtime.

Nine fully electric Volvo trucks are set to be in operation before 2024. When fully implemented, the e-trucks will reduce Danfoss’ scope 1 and 2 emissions in Denmark by 10-15% with the added benefit of next to zero noise and air pollution, the company said.

Danfoss joined the Climate Group’s EV100 initiative in 2019 and said it is committed to transitioning the entire company car fleet to electric vehicles by 2030 at the latest. Volvo Trucks set a global target that, in 2030, 50% of all new trucks sold will be battery or fuel-cell electric. The transition to electric is being led by Europe, where Volvo has a goal for around 70% of all new trucks sold in Europe in 2030 to be electric.

The new 24-hour e-trucks will run between Danfoss sites in Denmark, utilizing custom superchargers for quick battery charging during stops. — Volvo said the new 24-hour e-trucks will operate on a route between the Danfoss sites in Denmark and customized superchargers will be utilized to rapidly charge the truck’s battery during offloading and onloading at each stop – usually around 15 minutes.

The company said advanced charging technology and the relative shortness of the route allow the electric truck to be continuously in service for 24 hours a day, up to five days per week, with a longer overnight charge only needed during weekends when there is no business need for the truck to be operational.

Danfoss Editron is also supplying the On-Board Charger and Electric Power Supply (OCEPS) to all Volvo electric trucks, which enables fast overnight AC charging and is a key enabler to electrifying on-highway trucks and buses as well as off-highway vehicles. The OCEPS’ dual functionality provides 43 kW of power to charge a truck overnight (8-9 hours) while using readily available AC power outlets.

While DC charging is more rapid and usually the preferred option, Volvo said the ability to rapidly charge with AC power (that is to plug directly into the utility grid for charging) is crucial to providing flexibility for heavy-duty electric vehicles. Rapid AC charging is necessary to eliminate range anxiety for commercial vehicles doing deliveries on variable routes or vehicles at construction sites where it is not possible to access DC charging.