DHL Freight and Volvo Trucks to collaborate on electric trucks

DHL Freight and Volvo Trucks have partnered on a project to speed up the introduction of heavy-duty electric trucks to be used in Europe.

The main use of electric trucks has been for shorter distances within cities and urban areas but now DHL Freight and Volvo Trucks have initiated a project focusing on longer distance heavy transport. This includes exclusive, worldwide first pilot tests of a fully electric Volvo FH truck with gross combination weights up to 60 tonnes.

Starting in March, the truck will operate between two DHL Freight logistics terminals in Sweden, a distance of approximately 150km. During the trial, Volvo and DHL will gain important experience and information regarding the setup and operation of an adequate charging infrastructure. The collected insights will help to optimise the right balance between operated distance, load weight and charging points in daily road freight operations.

“Our aim is to reduce all logistics-related emissions to zero. Important milestones have already been achieved in meeting this. Compared to 2007, our Group’s CO2 efficiency has improved by 35%. However, we need innovative technological solutions and strong partnerships along this journey,” says Uwe Brinks, CEO at DHL Freight.“I’m confident that our strong cooperation with Volvo Trucks, one of the major truck brands in the world, will support us in achieving our ambitious environmental goals in the road freight sector.”

"Volvo Trucks is driving the necessary shift towards fossil free road transport by making the transition to electrification as seamless and efficient as possible. This is done by considering every aspect of the eco-system for electrification, including charging, route planning, vehicles, service and other support. “The transport business is changing rapidly and to be sustainable is an increasingly important business advantage for many of our customers,” says Roger Alm, President at Volvo Trucks.

“We offer effective transport solutions that help make a fast transition to fossil-free fuels such as electricity. We have a longstanding relationship with DHL. Their broad and global expertise in logistics allows us to study the conditions to progress with this technology shift, adapting it to customer needs and their type of transport operation.”

DHL Freight is actively driving various sustainability and fossil-free technology projects and has introduced a climate-focused shipping program in Sweden. Customers using the program pay a fixed surcharge for every parcel or pallet shipped and the income generated from the surcharges is fully invested in clean technologies within the Swedish network. “The logistics sector is facing a huge challenge, which also offers a great opportunity at the same time – the decarbonisation of freight transportation. The collaboration with Volvo Trucks helps DHL Freight to play an even bigger role in the transition to sustainable alternatives and is another significant proof point for our long-term strategy towards climate-neutral transportation,” explains Robert Zander, CEO of DHL Freight Sweden.