Watch out! Look around! Something's coming, coming to town, coming to your town – it's Volvo's all-electric VNR Class 8 truck! Coca-Cola Bottling Canada recently took delivery of six units and will pay next to nothing for them. Here's what you need to know about the deal.
Road freight is changing in both the US and Canada. Companies want to decarbonize their fleets ahead of time. In the process, they can also lower their running costs because electricity is cheaper than fuel. PepsiCo chose Tesla's Semi to haul goods in America, while Coca-Cola went with Volvo's battery-electric semi-truck in the Great White North.
Coke Canada Bottling plans to reduce its carbon emissions by at least 46% by 2030. These six Volvo VNRs will help them achieve that goal. It is a great deal, considering that the trucks were basically free. The company used two major incentives offered by the provincial and federal governments.
The VNR has a range of up to 275 miles (443 kilometers), made possible by a 565-kWh battery. It boasts a 455 hp drive unit. Depending on the configuration, a maximum torque output of up to 4,051 lb-ft is also possible. The power is managed through a two-speed I-Shift automated transmission.
Depending on the chosen battery pack, charging to 80% happens in 60 or 90 minutes at a 250-kW charger. That's similar to what passenger electric vehicles use to replenish their energy storage units. Electrify Canada has dispensers that can go all the way up to 350 kW.
But Coca-Cola invested in three 150-kW chargers, so the charging times will be a bit longer than what Volvo presents. That might be beneficial to the battery packs because they won't be stressed too much.
Volvo made sure to have CCS Combo 1 and Combo 2 connectors available. Even though Tesla opened the design of its charging port (NACS) to every interested automaker, the so-called "Megacharger" was not part of that clever strategy poised to bring many more customers for its Supercharger network. As such, the port found on the Semi might not enjoy NACS' level of popularity with truck makers.
The VNR is also available with advanced driver-assistance technology in true Volvo fashion. It uses cameras and radars to scan the road, give the driver more information, or automatically stop when an emergency is detected.
Coke Bottling Canada will use the iconic red semi-trucks to make several daily round trips of 93 miles (150 kilometers) from the beverage company's distribution center in Montreal to customer locations.
It's not Coca-Cola's first all-electric rodeo. A European subsidiary chose to buy 30 Renault trucks to haul their beverages in Belgium. Their strategy was very similar to Coke Bottling Canada – use the zero-tailpipe emission units for trips of around 93 miles.
Car shows on TV and his father's Fiat Tempra may have been Florin's early influences, but nowadays he favors different things, like the power of an F-150 Raptor. He'll never be able to ignore the shape of a Ferrari though, especially a yellow one. Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News