We’re going to go out on a limb here, but here at Gerrys Truck Centre, in our humble opinion, we think it’s safe to say that this whole electric vehicle/ heavy truck thing is not only here to stay, but will also only continue to growing with each upcoming year ;-).

While this is obvious to pretty much anyone today, Volvo recognized this seismic shift in the trucking and transportation industry early and took it upon themselves to invest a fortune in time, research and development with the goal of being the undisputed leader when it comes to zero-emission electric heavy trucks. By most any analysis, it was mission accomplished for Volvo.

Volvo’s VNR electric rigs changed the game before the game had barely even begun! But as impressive as everything they have accomplished with electrification so far they are not done. Not by a long shot.

The Volvo VNR electric truck line is about to get a whole lot better because we are on the cusp of the second generation of Volvo VNR electric trucks. Production of the second generation of Volvo VNR electric model is set to begin in the next few months.

What kind of improvements has Volvo made you may be wondering? Several. The next generation of Volvo VNR will have larger load capacity, increased range and even offer faster charging. How did they increase the range and make charging faster? Larger load capacity – Battery design improvements in battery delivered up to a 40% increase in storage capacity for each battery.

BTMS – Battery Thermal Management System. This system helps maintain and manage battery temperatures for various climates for better performance. 6 battery option – Volvo VNR trucks come with 4 batteries or can be ordered with an optional 6 batteries to help improve and increase driving range as well as time between charging.

All of this, as well as regenerative braking in which energy is captured and fed back into the system to maximize energy efficiency and driving range adds up to an increased operation range of up to four hundred and forty kilometres. Perhaps even better yet, Volvo worked to reduce battery charging time. The six battery option can be charged to 80% in about an hour and a half while the four battery vehicles can reach an 80% charge in about an hour.

On top of all of this, Volvo has increased the options when it comes to electric vehicles by adding a 6×4 straight truck as well as a 6×4 tractor to its existing electric fleet (which included 4×2 tractor, 6×2 tractor, and single-axle straight truck).