History is made: electric truck wins Truck of the Year
The FH Electric, manufactured by Volvo Trucks, has clinched the prestigious 2024 International Truck of the Year (ITOY) award. This is the first time in the 47-year history of the Truck of the Year that the award has gone to an electric truck.
Presented in Lyon
The announcement was made at the recent Solutrans trade fair in Lyon, France. Roger Alm, President of Volvo Trucks, was there to accept the sought-after award. With its impressive winning score of 84 votes, Volvo's FH Electric beat several strong contenders, including Mercedes-Benz's eActros 300/400, equipped with an electric driveline, and the Scania's 45S battery electric vehicle (BEV).
“Four vehicles out of five on this year's ITOY award shortlist were BEVs with zero tailpipe emissions. This is proof that the energy transition is gaining momentum in the transportation sector,” comments ITOY chairman Gianenrico Griffini.
The annual award goes to the truck introduced into the market in the previous 12 months that has made the most significant contribution to road transport efficiency. This judgment relies on several critical criteria, including technological innovation, comfort, safety, driveability, energy efficiency, environmental footprint, and Total Cost of Ownership (TCO).
EVs not new to Volvo
Volvo Trucks was the first global manufacturer to start series production of electric trucks. That was in 2019, and today it has a broad electric line-up with a total of six electric trucks designed to handle a wide variety of transport assignments. Volvo is leading the market for heavy electric trucks in Europe with a market share of 49%.
Volvo started taking orders for its heavy-duty electric truck range –comprising the Volvo FH, Volvo FM, and Volvo FMX – in May 2022. This followed the successful serial production of electric versions of Volvo’s medium-duty trucks, namely the Volvo FE, Volvo FL, and Volvo VNR.
The Volvo FH Electric can operate at a total of 44 tonnes. Manufacturing of the Volvo FH Electric commenced at Volvo's facility in Gothenburg, Sweden, starting in 2022, and production at the Ghent, Belgium plant kicked off in 2023. Volvo wants BEVs to represent half of its total truck sales by 2030.
Volvo’s complete electric range was introduced to the South African market in June this year.
Why Volvo won
The ITOY journalists praised the performance, seamless acceleration, quietness, and vibration-free behaviour of the highly efficient electric powertrain of the FH Electric, based on two or three electric machines of 330 or 490kW continuous power, coupled with the latest generation I-Shift gearbox. Equally crucial in the winning score of FH Electric for regional cargo transport was the vast offer of axle configurations for tractors and rigids, the availability of four cab versions, and the modular portfolio of battery packs – from two to six.
According to Alm, the FH Electric is also gaining favour with customers. “We have received a good response from our customers. We have delivered many electric trucks around the world, and we have sold almost 7,000 in 43 countries since we launched in 2019. These entrepreneurs want to make the switch and mainly see the benefits for their drivers. There are no vibrations and no noise. It is a completely different workplace for the drivers,” he told TTM.nl.
Elation at win
Needless to say, Alm was mighty chuffed with the win. “I am so very proud of this recognition that our Volvo FH Electric has won this highly respected award. For the first time in history, the transport industry has chosen an electric vehicle as Truck of the Year. The Volvo FH Electric represents a new era in trucking and winning this award clearly shows that the shift to zero-emission transport is happening here and now,” he said.
“I sincerely want to thank everyone who has contributed to this success. It’s based on great teamwork with passion and dedication among our fantastic colleagues within the Volvo Group, and close cooperation with our valued customers, partners and suppliers.”
On a local front, Waldemar Christensen, Managing Director of Volvo Trucks South Africa, has also expressed elation. “We are very excited that so shortly after our South African launch in June, the Volvo FH Electric truck has been selected as the Truck of the Year 2024. Locally, there has been a lot of activity and interest around electromobility, a lot quicker than we anticipated, and the enthusiasm and opportunities in South Africa are there.
“Irrespective of local challenges when it comes to electricity and infrastructure, a lot of customers are looking at setting up their own charging infrastructures to accommodate electromobility and their own sustainability goals,” he concludes.
