As part of its drive towards electromobility, Volvo Penta has delivered and integrated its electric driveline into the first of a series of prototype fully electric terminal tractors for US customer, TICO – who will be testing the prototypes with a variety of major fleet partners.

The move is part of the Volvo Group's extensive electromobility agenda, under which it announced ambitions to be a net-zero emissions company by 2050 at the latest. The Group is now committing to the Science-Based Targets Initiative (SBTI) – with targets and roadmaps established this year. To support these sustainability goals, Volvo Penta is accelerating its efforts to reach zero emissions – through fossil-free, renewable fuels, hybrid, and electric technology.

According to Volvo Penta, the success and speed of the project with TICO can be attributed to several key factors: firstly, a strong collaboration between TICO and Volvo Penta helped to solve common development issues quickly; secondly, this solution is based on proven Volvo Group technology tailored to TICO’s application in terms of performance and energy needs; and thirdly, Volvo Penta’s knowledge of electromobility and its experience accumulated during earlier projects, such as terminal tractor proof of concept, has paved the way for this latest achievement.

The Volvo Group engines company also added that finally, when it comes to developing tailor-made electric driveline solutions, Volvo Penta’s full system supply approach – handling the development and installation of the complete electric driveline solution and its integration into the vehicle – has allowed TICO to focus on improving the vehicle’s functionality.

Daryl Berryman, head of R&D at TICO, said: “The market demand for electrification is everywhere in the applications we support. In the port industries, in the distribution industries, in the rail industry – electromobility is the new cutting-edge technology that everybody wants. It’s the natural evolution of all transportation and we want to be pioneers. To achieve this teamwork is key. By working with Volvo Penta, we’ve established a team where everyone plays a different role, and the results speak for themselves.”

Ports and distribution hubs have highly organised fleets and operations with favorable environments to develop charging infrastructure, having well-defined duty cycles, making them the perfect fit for this kind of technology. Volvo Penta analysed the operations of the TICO customer in real-time and based its electric system on this data and simulations. With good management of electrified vehicle fleets and access to high-power charging opportunities, this new technology could mean fleet owners will see notable benefits from a total cost of ownership perspective, including:
1. Eliminated fuel costs – this will be even more important for the future, with prices rising and emissions
legislation becoming more restrictive.
2. Reduced maintenance – electric drivelines have much fewer maintenance requirements compared to
conventional solutions.
3. Reduced vehicle stoppages and need for spare parts.
4. Possibilities to benefit from green incentives.