Here’s How Volvo Is Ensuring Its Electric Trucks Are Ready to Roll in the Most Extreme Conditions

As the effects of man-made climate change are ever more keenly felt around the world, the need for alternatives to traditional fossil fuels is experiencing a sympathetic surge in demand.

With many countries beginning the process of phasing out vehicles propelled by petrol and diesel – the UK plans to cease the sale of new fossil fuel powered vehicles by 2030 for example – brands responsible for the manufacture and ongoing field service needs of transportation products are working hard to make sure they have environmentally friendly options ready to go.

Relatively small electricity powered cars are a simple enough proposition. However, it’s a different story when we introduce large freight vehicles into the equation. The demands placed on these vehicles are significantly higher than those on domestic vehicles and require their own special considerations when it comes to deploying them en masse.

Volvo Trucks

As the world’s second largest manufacturer of heavy-duty trucks, Volvo Trucks Corporation is uniquely placed to innovate when it comes to creating its own range of electricity powered fleet vehicles.

However, the field service and maintenance experts at Volvo Trucks know and understand that its vehicles need to be relied on to perform perfectly in a range of climates. After all, dispatching a field service engineer to somewhere such as Arjeplog near the Arctic Circle in the north of Sweden on a cold and snowy winter nights is not going to be an ideal situation for anyone involved.

And this is exactly where Volvo Trucks has been stress testing its newest models of electric truck to make sure they are up to the stresses of the modern freight logistics industry. Under the supervision of Volvo Trucks’ expert technicians and engineers, Volvo electric trucks are tested in a location where snow lies deep in winter and the temperatures can easily fall below -25°C [-13°F] at night.

"When testing our trucks out in the field, we assess all the unpredictable elements of nature so we can make sure that everything performs correctly under the most extreme circumstances," said Global Product Manager Volvo Trucks, Jessica Sandström. "What happens, for example, to a battery-powered truck when the thermometer shows minus 25°C and hard winds are blowing? Our tests have proven that it works very well to operate Volvo’s electric trucks in these really cold environments."

Active Grip Control

At the core of Volvo Trucks’ extreme weather safety features is a patented technology designed to help the vehicles improve stability, acceleration, and braking is slippery conditions such as in the depths of winter.

Active Grip Control means the force generated between the truck’s wheels and the surface of the road can be controlled in an instant to proactively prevent the vehicle form losing traction. When looking at the improvement in acceleration under slippery conditions, tests performed with the Volvo FH Electric on a low friction surface with a loaded trailer showed ​an impressive 45% improvement at full acceleration.

If the truck begins to lose control, multiple sensors allow the vehicle’s control system to react to the road surface conditions in an instant and utilize the vehicle’s electric motors, along with other actuators, in an intelligent and rapid manner to help the driver stay on the road.

"The improvement when going up a slippery, gravel road is really impressive. I believe this will increase productivity, not least for our construction customers," said Traffic and Product Safety Director at Volvo Trucks, Anna Wrige Berling. "With Active Grip Control we are giving our drivers further improved ability to traverse difficult roads and terrain – even during the most challenging of conditions."

All these amazing features and expansive testing conspire to ensure that Volvo electric trucks are able to continue operating under the most extreme conditions – simultaneously making the world a greener place and effectively dealing with the real-world impact of climate change. Naturally these features improve the reliability of Volvo electric trucks across the board and reduce the number of callouts the company’s expert field service engineers need to attend.

Final Thoughts

Electricity powered vehicles are going to become ever more common sights on our roads as manufacturers read the room and answer the ever-increasing demand for them. This, of course, means the testing and maintenance needs of these vehicles must also transform.

With brands such as Volvo Trucks carrying out such extensive testing and innovation in the field of electric fleet vehicles, we can be confident that supply chains will be maintained in this new world of increasingly sustainable transportation.

You can hear Volvo Group Trucks Technology Director of Technology and Service Development Leo Pertin speak at Field Service Hilton Head 2022, taking place in August at the Marriott Hilton Head Resort & Spa, SC.

Download the agenda today for more information and insights.