DHL orders more electric trucks from Volvo
Deutsche Post DHL has announced that it will procure 44 new electric trucks from Volvo for its European operations. Both companies have signed a cooperation agreement "to accelerate the transition to zero-emission commercial vehicles". The German logistics group has said that the planned order from Volvo Trucks involves 40 electric trucks of the Volvo FE and Volvo FL models that will be used for parcel delivery in urban traffic.
Electric trucks for longer distances are also part of the order, which DHL will use for regional transport, starting with four Volvo FM Electric in the UK. The first trucks have already been ordered, six by DHL Parcel UK and two by DHL Freight. Both the FE Electric and FL Electric are designed for urban delivery and municipal services such as waste management respectively.
The FL Electric as a 16-tonne truck has a range of up to 300 kilometres with the largest possible battery configuration. The drive power is up to 185 kW. The FE Electric is a 27-tonne truck, driven by two electric motors with 370 kW maximum and 260 kW continuous power.
Battery capacities of 200 to 300 kWh are possible with a stated range of up to 200 kilometres. AC charging with up to 22 kW and DC charging with up to 150 kW are possible for both models. The data on the heavy FM Electric also on order has been public since June 2021.
This is not the first cooperation between DHL and Volvo Trucks: In February 2021, a project was launched to introduce a heavy-duty electric truck for regional transport. The Volvo FH with a total weight of up to 60 tonnes will be used in Sweden between two logistics terminals of DHL Freight. In addition, DHL has been using a Volvo electric truck in last-mile deliveries in London's West End since November 2020 - when it became the first all-electric heavy truck to be used for urban logistics in the UK.
"We are committed to meet growing customer demand for green and sustainable solutions and achieve our long-term goal of net-zero emissions by 2050. As a logistics service provider, the conversion of our vehicle fleet is an important lever to help us avoid CO2 emissions on the road as well. Several of our divisions will thus benefit from this agreement with Volvo Trucks," explains Pablo Ciano, Executive Vice President for Corporate Development at Deutsche Post DHL Group.