Volvo Trucks reports that one of its three upcoming new EV models, the Volvo FH Electric, (a high-payload model for city to city transport) has successfully completed an independent energy efficiency test.
The fully-loaded vehicle with a gross combination weight of 40 tonnes and three-motor (390 kW) configuration, has been tested by a German trucking journalist - Jan Burgdorf - on the Green Truck Route.
It's a 343 km (213 miles) long route, specifically used for testing different manufacturers' trucks in a wide range of conditions, as it includes a variety of motorways, hilly terrains, and tighter roads.
As it turns out, the truck was able to cover the distance at an average speed of 80 km/h (50 mph) and still had some energy left - the total range is estimated at 345 km (214 miles).
An important thing is that the energy consumption was roughly 50% lower than in the case of the diesel version of the same FH model. The energy consumption stands at 1.1 kWh/km, which indicates that the truck consumed over 377 kWh.
That's not bad. Since there are various battery options from 180 kWh to 540 kWh (2-6 individual battery packs), fleets should be able to select a model with the right battery size for a particular application.
