GOTHENBURG, Sweden—Volvo Trucks has begun producing electric trucks at its Tuve assembly plant here. Next year, the heavy-duty FH, FM and FMX models will also be assembled in Ghent, Belgium, near the company’s new battery factory. Because of recent improvements in production flexibility and efficiency gains, Volvo Trucks can produce EV variants on the same assembly lines as conventional diesel-powered trucks.

“This is a milestone and proves that we are leading the transformation of the industry,” says Roger Alm, president of Volvo Trucks. “It’s less than two years since we showcased our heavy electric trucks for the very first time. Now, we are ramping up volumes and will deliver these great trucks to customers all over Europe, and later on to customers in Asia, Australia and Latin America.

“We have sold around 1,000 units of our heavy electric trucks and more than 2,600 of our electric trucks in total,” claims Alm. “We expect volumes to increase significantly in the next few years. By 2030, at least 50 percent of the trucks we sell globally should be electric.

Volvo Trucks currently boasts an electric line-up of six truck models, covering a wide range of applications, such as distribution and refuse handlling.