Volvo Heavy-Duty Electric 2022 Review

Volvo has been testing prototypes of the Heavy-Duty Electric range for some time, but this was to be the first time anyone outside Volvo has driven the production version of the FH and FM heavy-duty trucks.

To say we were excited would be an understatement. Being the first in the world to drive these trucks around Gothenburg after their September 15 debut was indeed a privilege.

Gothenburg is the home of Volvo. It’s where the major Volvo Truck factory, Tuve, is situated, and the head office of Volvo Trucks is also there. In fact, Volvo either directly or indirectly employs a fair percentage of Gothenburg’s population.

We travelled there on our way to biggest truck show in the world, the IAA.

Volvo Trucks’ electric line-up of six truck models covers a wide range of applications such as city distribution and refuse handling, regional transport and construction work.

The Volvo models available right now in Europe are:

• Volvo FH Electric, for regional and intercity transport.
• Volvo FM Electric, for heavy local transport and regional distribution.
• Volvo FMX Electric, for cleaner and quieter construction transport.
• Volvo FE Electric, for local and city distribution and waste transport.
• Volvo FL Electric, ideal for local and city distribution.

Powering the new heavy-duty trucks are three electric motors coupled to Volvo Trucks' well-proven I-Shift gearbox, which has a new gear-shifting strategy optimised for electric operations.

Basically, the bottom end of the gearbox is not used, and just the top six gears are available
Together, the motors and I-Shift gearbox form a powerful electric drive unit that Volvo says offers high-efficiency drivability with a combined electric motor power of 490kW (666hp) and a gearbox torque of up to 28,000Nm.

“Because the truck always starts in the highest possible gear, energy efficiency and savings are achieved thanks to minimised gear shifting,” a Volvo Spokesman told us.

“At the same time, lower gears are of course available for steep roads or in starting situations that require additional torque and control,” he said.

As well, the driver can choose from three rates of regenerative braking from the right-hand stalk on the steering column – it’s just like having a three-stage retarder on a conventional truck.

For power take-off (PTO) capability there are three options to meet customer needs: one electric (40kW), one electro-mechanical (70kW) and one gearbox-mounted (150kW).

The high-energy density traction batteries use the latest generation of lithium-ion cell technology and are assembled in a Volvo production plant. An electric truck with six battery packs has a nominal capacity of 540kWh, allowing a range of up to 300km.

The two trucks on test were factory-fresh series-production trucks. Previous groups of journalists only drove prototype trucks, but we had the real deal.

The test trucks were an FM with single steerable trailer and an FH with a larger tri-axle trailer. The FM was loaded to around 35 tonnes GVM and the FH was just under 40 tonnes.

Both featured excellent fit and finish inside and out. In production, they run down exactly the same line as the conventional trucks so it stands to reason that they’d have a top level of finish.

Related reading:
Volvo Trucks starts series production of heavy electric trucks
Kaunis Iron tests 74-tonne Volvo electric trucks
Local sales open for Volvo FL Electric and FE Electric trucks

Climbing up into the FM, the first thing to notice are the screens. The dash is all digital with the main screen in the centre and the ancillary screen offset to the right (it’ll be on the left in our trucks).

The gears are buttons in the FM are on the dash and right of the driver. The FH differs by having a more traditional shifter next to the driver where it’s easier to shift cogs manually if you need to. However, in these electric babies, you don’t need to due to the regenerative braking, which we’ll get to soon.

As the cabs are put together in the same factory as the diesel Volvos, there’s not much difference between the layout of electric and the conventional versions. You still get plenty of storage, all your cup holders and the sleeper.

Not only did the Volvo guys in Gothenburg give us brand-new factory-built trucks to drive, rather than put us on their test track they let us out on the roads of Sweden, which can be a bit tight at times.

There were no punches pulled, it was full traffic with other trucks, cars and buses coming at us (on the wrong side of the road, mind you), but the experience was fantastic.

The electric trucks use Volvo’s electric steering system called Volvo Dynamic Steering (VDS). This system has been around for a while but it makes the trucks much easier to handle – especially on the tight roads around Gothenburg…

The VDS gives the driver more precise positioning of the trucks and it doesn’t wander on road or follow the camber. It just makes it so much easier to drive.

And then there’s the three-stage regenerative braking, which means you can adjust the amount of retardation you’re getting from the motors.

I found, especially on the smaller and more nimble FM, that I was driving with one foot only and relying on the regen to provide braking power. In fact, I rarely if at all touched the brakes on my whole drive until we came to park at a service station for a changeover to the FH.

The FH was a bit bigger and heavier so I was bit more circumspect about only using the regen braking as opposed the hot-rod FM with its nimble handling and steering trailer.
But that said, I was using it a lot, and just hauling back on the stalk rather than hitting the anchors to slow down. It was then just a dab on the service brakes to pull up.

Needless to say the ride was quiet. Really quiet. And smooth. The suspension is beautiful in these trucks, and whether it’s the quietness that makes it seem smoother is a moot point… it’s just a lovely thing to drive.

The power delivery is fantastic. From the moment you put your foot down, you have max torque so there is just this lineal surge of power from standstill right up to cruising speed. At one stage I was coming out of a roundabout with a hill in front of me. I put my foot down, not all the way, and the truck, loaded as it was, just powered up the hill with no noise and no fuss. Quite amazing.

I came back to Volvo HQ with perhaps one blot on my copy book – when I came out of the servo and went to drive down the wrong side of the road, but hey, there was no-one coming the other way, and I swerved back quickly enough so that nobody noticed – except my Volvo co-pilot who grumbled a bit.

I got out after my drive with a dopey grin on my face like I’d just come off a carnival ride. These things are just so easy and much fun to drive.

With all the shortages of drivers, not just in Australia but worldwide, if there’s a chance to make their jobs, and hence their lives easier, then we should embrace it.

These trucks are just a dream to drive. They’re smooth, quiet and easy. When they arrive in Australia hopefully next year, they are going to need less maintenance and less downtime than a regular diesel truck and with the regen braking, they’ll need fewer brake pads over their lives too.

Sure, the range isn’t there quite yet, but the announcement of the new electric axle for extended range could help that; and there will be place for linehaul diesel trucks for a long time to come, but for around-town work and even a bit of regional distribution, these trucks would be ideal.

The only drawback will be the price – they're not cheap. But if our government gets behind the electric trucks like they do in Europe and offer incentives for operators to buy them, then they certainly have a place in the future of trucking in Australia.