Volvo Trucks open battery plant in Belgium

New assembly plant to produce battery packs for FH, FM and FMX electric heavy-duty trucks

VOLVO Trucks are opening their first battery assembly plant. Located in Ghent, Belgium, the facility will supply ready-to-install batteries for Volvo Trucks’ full range of electric heavy-duty trucks.

‘This investment shows our strong commitment to electrifying truck transportation. By 2030, at least 50% of all trucks we sell globally will be electric and by 2040, we will be a carbon-neutral company,’ said Roger Alm, president of Volvo Trucks.

In the new battery plant, cells and modules from Samsung SDI will be assembled into battery packs that are tailor-made for Volvo Trucks’ FH, FM, and FMX heavy-duty electric range. Series production will start in the third quarter of this year.

Each battery pack has a capacity of 90kWh, and the customer can choose to have up to six battery packs (540kWh) in a truck. The number of batteries depends on each customer’s specific range and load capacity demands.

‘By integrating the battery assembly process in our production flow, we can shorten lead times for our customers and secure high-performing batteries, while at the same time increase circularity,’ added Mr Alm.

Volvo Trucks’ batteries are designed so that they can later be remanufactured, refurbished, and reused. The plant itself is powered by 100% renewable energy.

With production of three heavy-duty full electric models starting this year in Europe, Volvo Trucks will offer a total of six electric truck models globally, covering everything from city distribution and refuse handling to regional transport and construction work.

‘We started series-production of electric trucks in 2019 and are leading the market both in Europe and North America,’ said Mr Alm. ‘With the rapid development of charging networks, and improvements in battery technology, I am convinced that we will see a rapid transformation of the entire truck industry in the very near future.’