Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - June 2024 - 27

EXECUTIVE VIEWPOINTS
Big diesel part of path to zero
Volvo Trucks is leading the charge to net-zero emissions by 2050, but will
other OEMs follow?
by Matt Wolfe
Regulations that appear to be squeezing ICE out of the
picture have opened opportunities for behemoths like the
780-hp D17 engine in Volvo's FH16 truck.
V
olvo Trucks is betting on itself to reach the
aggressive goal of being completely fossilfree
by 2040, meaning its global population
of trucks running on roads should be
net-zero by 2050. The company is taking an almost
fanatical approach to its emissions reduction targets
in hopes that other OEMs will follow its lead. Volvo
refers to this approach as " The Road to Net-Zero. "
Truck & Off-Highway Engineering was invited to
Gothenburg, Sweden, to tour many of Volvo's facilities
and experience its latest truck offerings at its
proving grounds. In addition to touring the newly
christened World of Volvo, the company's new experience
center located in the heart of Gothenburg, our
group of North American journalists was provided
unfettered access to company engineers and executives
to glean how the company plans to achieve its
ambitious targets.
" We are not doing this simply because we have to, "
said Roger Alm, executive VP of Volvo Group and
president of Volvo Trucks. " We are taking this approach
because we believe it is the right thing to do
to preserve the environment for future generations. "
A multifaceted approach
Like most OEMs, Volvo is taking a multi-pronged
approach to achieving net-zero emissions. The company
has invested heavily in engineering and R&D
TRUCK & OFF-HIGHWAY ENGINEERING
for multiple propulsion systems and
technologies. Though battery-electric
trucks are certainly part of the picture
in Volvo's projection for the heavyduty
sector, they do not represent a
solution for all markets and customers
Lars Stenqvist, chief technology
officer of Volvo Group.
" We don't want
governments to
ban technologies,
we want them
to ask us what it
is they want to
accomplish, then
let our engineers
accomplish
that goal. "
in the company's view.
" Too many politicians across the
globe are a little bit too trigger-happy
and want to ban technologies instead
of telling us what they want to
achieve, " said Lars Stenqvist, chief
technology officer of Volvo Group. " We
don't want governments to ban technologies,
we want them to ask us what
it is they want to accomplish, then let
our engineers accomplish that goal. "
Nowhere is the commitment to this
approach more apparent than on the
shop floor at Volvo Trucks' main assembly
plant in Gothenburg, where
traditional ICE trucks are built in series
with its electric units. The assembly
line is a fishbone layout, where
trucks come down individual lines,
but then converge into a single line to
form the spine of the plant.
During the plant tour, Truck & OffHighway
Engineering witnessed the
June 2024 27
BOTH IMAGES: VOLVO TRUCKS
Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - June 2024

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