Volvo builds Australia's first locally made electric heavy trucks

Volvo's Wacol plant near Brisbane has produced the first electric trucks built in Australia by an OEM, with Linfox ordering 30 for metro freight.

Volvo Group Australia says the first electric trucks have rolled off its production line in Wacol, near Brisbane, describing them as the first electric trucks manufactured in Australia by an OEM. The plant has built trucks at the site for more than 50 years. These first-generation vehicles offer about 300 km of range and a 45-ton gross combination mass, aimed mainly at metro and city runs rather than long-haul crossings.

Logistics firm Linfox has ordered 30 of the trucks, adding to a diesel fleet of roughly 2,500 \u2014 a small start against a large incumbent base. The Australian federal government put in AU$70 million to offset the cost gap between diesel and battery-electric trucks, and Linfox received support from ARENA. Components ship from Sweden with some local parts; NCA cells come from Samsung, with packs assembled in Europe.

Heavy freight is one of the harder transport segments to decarbonize, and building electric trucks locally shortens the path to serial production. Volvo has launched a next-generation lineup offering 470 km and 65-ton GCM, with a 700 km variant in Europe, and says it may move to local serial production in about 18 months \u2014 potentially shifting up to 30% of Wacol output to battery-electric semis if demand supports it.

The caveats matter: the Wacol-built vehicles are described as a proof of concept, they won't cross the Nullarbor, and future growth hinges on demand rather than a firm commitment.

Source: CleanTechnica