Volvo Trucks launched its turnkey solutions program, a consolidated fleet management process for procuring vendor services, parts and products for electric vehicle (EV) charging, in addition to outlook planning for incentives, installation and interfacing with utility companies to streamline solutions for EV infrastructure development. The turnkey solutions electromobility program has two full-service partners — InCharge Energy and Gilbarco Veeder-Root — and is available to all Volvo Trucks North America customers.
The turnkey solutions program manages all aspects of the process of developing charging infrastructure and covers charging hardware, software, permitting, installation, all the interactions with the utility companies and maintaining charging equipment — every step of the process to get charging infrastructure from order to operation including support with accessing available incentives and writing grant proposals. Customers can receive quotes from both InCharge Energy and Gilbarco Veeder-Root to support their charging needs and decide which way to move forward, Volvo said.
Infrastructure work sometimes starts early to cover lead times, so Volvo said the program offers customers charging options to allow both to occur in tandem so the charging infrastructure is installed and ready when the trucks are delivered. When customers sign up for the turnkey solutions program, they are paired with a Volvo Trucks dealer who advises them on three pathways for their EV infrastructure development:
- Designing the customers’ infrastructure plans, presenting funding and financing opportunities, and identifying implementation partners;
- Providing guidance and support to the customer as they manage components of their company’s own program, or
combining the two approaches where the customer manages their own infrastructure development, but the charging hardware is acquired through Volvo Trucks’ vendor direct shipping program; - Through the vendor direct-shipping program, customers and dealers can order equipment through the dealership parts portal. Volvo Trucks sales teams can assist customers with the process and determine the type of charger best equipped for the application.
Participating vendors can potentially help with infrastructure development directly once customers purchase equipment through the vendor direct-shipping program. Both the vendor direct-shipping and the turnkey-solution programs are options that qualified customers can bundle with financing or leasing solutions for electric trucks through Volvo financial services.
