Volvo Group North America last week hosted U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael Regan, and Ray Curry, president of the United Auto Workers Union (UAW) at its headquarters in Greensboro, N.C.
During the visit, in addition to discussing the Volvo Group’s commitment to environmental sustainability in both current and future products, the visit allowed the guests to test-drive the latest zero-emission, fully electric, heavy-duty trucks from the Group’s Volvo and Mack truck brands.
“It was an honor to host Michael Regan and Ray Curry on our campus, and to discuss the Volvo Group’s work toward achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040,” says Martin Weissburg, chairman, Volvo Group North America, and president, Mack Trucks. “We appreciated the opportunity to show them the fully electric vehicles we’re building today in our U.S. factories, and give them some insights into our plans for continued leadership in the transformation to a more sustainable transportation industry.”
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During the visit, Regan and Curry had the opportunity to test drive the Mack LR Electric refuse truck and the Volvo VNR Electric regional hauler, both of which are sold in the U.S. and Canada and are part of the Volvo Group’s global stable of zero-emission, battery-electric Class 8 trucks, buses and equipment commercially available in the marketplace today.
EPA Administrator Michael Regan test drives the Volvo VNR Electric zero-emission, fully electric, Class 8 truck.
Volvo Group says the LR Electric is equipped with four NMC (Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide) lithium-ion batteries, charged by a 150kW, SAE J1772-compliant charging system. The batteries provide vehicle propulsion, as well as power for all onboard accessories driven through 12V, 24V and 600V electric circuits. To account for the LR Electric vehicle’s increasing load throughout the day, a three-mode regenerative braking system helps recapture the energy from the hundreds of stops the vehicle makes on a daily basis. The Mack LR Electric is manufactured at Mack’s Lehigh Valley Operations in Macungie, Pa.
The VNR Electric is Volvo Trucks’ first Class 8 battery-electric vehicle targeted for customers with fleets with local and regional hauling applications, Volvo Group says. Equipped with a driveline rated at 455 hp, generating up to 4,051 lb.-ft. of torque, the Volvo VNR Electric is manufactured at Volvo’s New River Valley assembly facility in Dublin, Va. The Volvo VNR Electric is also spec’d with a 264-kWh battery capacity and can support an operating range up to 150 miles based on the vehicle’s configuration.
