Volvo FH Electric bound for Amazon Germany

The German division of retail powerhouse Amazon is accelerating the decarbonisation of its logistics, with the company set to receive 20 examples of the Volvo FH Electric by the close of this year.

Volvo Trucks says the order will help Amazon electrify its transport network over longer distances and heavier loads.

“Heavy goods vehicles and other commercial vehicles make up around 36 per cent of Germany’s domestic transport emissions,” says Jessica Sandström, Senior Vice President of Product Management at Volvo Trucks.

“Big actors in the transport business play a key role in leading the industry’s efforts to lower its carbon footprint. Therefore, I’m glad that Amazon is working with us to help reduce their emissions in longer and heavier transport assignments.”

Production of heavy-duty Volvo electric trucks commenced in September, marking an important milestone on the truck manufacturer’s journey to sustainability.

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“Globally we now have six electric truck models ready to order and in series production to meet the increasing demand for decarbonizing goods transports,” continued Sandström. “This is an encouraging step forward for reducing climate change impacts.”

Volvo says the electric versions of its Volvo FH, Volvo FM and Volvo FMX will play a pivotal role in helping the company meet its overarching goal of battery or fuel-cell electric trucks making up half of all its new truck sales by 2030.

These Volvo model can operate at a total weight of 44 weights, the manufacturer says, while the trio represent two thirds of the Volvo’s sales.

“Amazon is committed to decarbonising its fleet, and the middle mile has been a notoriously hard-to-abate sector,” explains Andreas Marschner, Vice President Transportation Services Europe at Amazon.

“That’s why welcoming these electric heavy goods vehicles from Volvo into our fleet is such a critical milestone. We’re operating one of the fastest-growing commercial transportation electrification programs, and we’ll continue to invest and innovate to decarbonise and deliver packages to customers with zero emissions.”

The Volvo FH Electric has 540kWh of battery capacity and produces 490kW of continuous power. Volvo says the model has a range of up to 300km but can cover up to 500km with an additional but faster top-up charge at some point through the working day, for example during a lunch break.