Volvo Trucks have logged over 50 million battery electric miles (!)
Fifty million miles. Eighty million kilometers. Two thousand laps around Carl Sagan’s pale blue dot. However you measure it, there’s no denying it: Volvo Trucks have driven a whole lot of battery-electric miles!
Since Volvo Trucks began delivering its first generation of all-electric semi trucks to customers in 2019, the trucks have dramatically reduced fleets’ harmful carbon emissions, reduced their operating costs, and improved the working environment for drivers with smoother, quieter, and cleaner operation.
How much cleaner? Volvo claims that covering the same fifty million distance with equivalent diesel-powered trucks would have consumed more than 25 million liters of diesel fuel and more than 68,000 tons of carbon dioxide.
It pays off to be an early adopter – transport companies with electric trucks have a strong competitive advantage when being able to offer emission-free transport to transport buyers.
“I am happy to see how transport companies are embracing the benefits with electric trucks in daily operations,” says Roger Alm, President Volvo Trucks. “The transport sector represents 7% of global carbon emissions and battery-electric trucks is an important tool to reduce the climate footprint. Thanks to many early adopters we can already now see the huge potential with this technology.”
We’ve come a long way
Since 2019, Volvo Trucks’ global deliveries of electric trucks increased grew to 1,977 Class 8 trucks in 2023 (up 256% from the year before, and still growing, as the company sees continued interest from customers in 2024). In addition to sheer numbers, Volvo has market share. In Europe, more than 50% of electric truck buyers chose a Volvo during Q1 of ’24 – fully 56%, in fact, with a 44% share of electric trucks sold in the US, as well.
“Not only transport companies, but also buyers of transport – and logistic services are signing up to SBTi (Science Based Target initiative), and are starting to demand sustainable transport solutions from their providers,” says Alm, about the 3,500 electric Volvo semis sold in 45 countries (so far). “This is yet another driver of the shift to electric trucks.”
Electrek’s Take
I talked about the head start companies like Einride and Freightliner had in developing autonomous driving for commercial trucks even as companies like Walmart and McDonald’s are turning to Tesla’s competitors instead of waiting for its Semi in today’s episode of Quick Charge – and I didn’t need Reuters to tell me that.
That said, fifty million miles and five years is one heck of a head start.
SOURCES | IMAGES: Volvo Trucks, Reuters.
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Environment
U.S. crude oil falls below $60 a barrel to lowest since 2021 on tariff-fueled recession fears
A view shows disused oil pump jacks at the Airankol oil field operated by Caspiy Neft in the Atyrau Region, Kazakhstan April 2, 2025.
Pavel Mikheyev | Reuters
U.S. oil prices dropped below $60 a barrel on Sunday on fears President Donald Trump’s global tariffs would push the U.S., and maybe the world, into a recession.
Futures tied to U.S. West Texas intermediate crude fell more than 3% to $59.74 on Sunday night. The move comes after back-to-back 6% declines last week. WTI is now at the lowest since April 2021.
Worries are mounting that tariffs could lead to higher prices for businesses, which could lead to a slowdown in economic activity that would ultimately hurt demand for oil.
Oil futures, 5 years
The tariffs, which are set to take effect this week, “would likely push the U.S. and possibly global economy into recession this year,” according to JPMorgan. The firm on Thursday raised its odds of a recession this year to 60% following the tariff rollout, up from 40%.
Fueled by incentives from the Illinois EPA and the state’s largest utility company, new EV registrations nearly quadrupled the 12% first-quarter increase in EV registrations nationally – and there are no signs the state is slowing down.
Despite the dramatic slowdown of Tesla’s US deliveries, sales of electric vehicles overall have perked up in recent months, with Illinois’ EV adoption rate well above the Q1 uptick nationally. Crain’s Chicago Business reports that the number of new EVs registered across the state totaled 9,821 January through March, compared with “just” 6,535 EVs registered in the state during the same period in 2024.
Those numbers represent more than 50% growth in EV registrations – far beyond the expected 12% first-quarter increase nationally being projected by Cox Automotive. (!)
What’s going on in Illinois?
While President Trump and Elmo were running for re-election, they campaigned on the threat promise of canceling the $7,500 federal tax credit for EVs. Along with California Governor Gavin Newsom, Illinois’ Governor JB Pritzker made countermoves – launching a $4,000 rebate for new electric cars and up to $1,500 for the purchase of a new electric motorcycle.
At the same time, the state’s largest utility, ComEd, launched a $90 million EV incentive program featuring a new Point of Purchase initiative to deliver instant discounts to qualifying business and public sector customers who make the switch to electric vehicles. That program has driven a surge in Class 3-6 medium duty commercial EVs, which are eligible fro $20-30,000 in utility rebates on top of federal tax credits and other incentives (Class 1-2 EVs are eligible for up to $7,500).
We covered the launch of those incentives when the program was announced at Chicago Drives Electric last year, but the message here is simple: incentives work.
SOURCES: Chicago Business, Ray Cunningham; featured image by the author.
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The electric construction equipment experts at XCMG just released a new, 25 ton electric crawler excavator ahead of bauma 2025 – and they have their eye on the global urban construction, mine operations, and logistical material handling markets.
Powered by a high-capacity 400 kWh lithium iron phosphate battery capable of delivering up to 8 hours of continuous operation, the XE215EV electric excavator promises uninterrupted operation at a lower cost of ownership and with even less downtime than its diesel counterparts.
XCMG is delivering on part of that reduced downtime promise with the lower maintenance and easier repair needs of electric equipment, and delivering on the rest of it with lickety-quick DC fast charging that can recharge the machine’s massive battery in 1.5-2 hours … but that’s not the slick bit. The XCMG XE125EV can be powered up without leaving the job site thanks to its BYD battery swap technology.
We first covered XCMG and its battery swap technology back in January, and covered similar battery-swap tech being developed by MOOG Construction offshoot ZQUIP, as well – but while XCMG’s battery tech has been in production for several years, it’s still not widely known about in the West (even within the industry).
XCMG showed off its latest electric equipment at the December 2024 bauma China, including an updated version of its of its 85-ton autonomous electric mining truck that features a fully cab-less design – meaning there isn’t even a place for an operator to sit, let alone operate. And that’s too bad, because what operator wouldn’t want to experience an electric truck putting down 1070 hp more than 16,000 lb-ft of torque!?
Easy in, easy out
The best part? All of the company’s heavy equipment assets – from excavators to terminal tractors to dump trucks and wheel loaders – all use the same 400 kWh BYD battery packs, Milwaukee tool style. That means an equipment fleet can utilize x number of vehicles with a fraction of the total battery capacity and material needs of other asset brands. That’s not just a smart use of limited materials, it’s a smarter use of energy.
You can check out all the XE215EV’s specs at this tear sheet, and get an in-person look at the Chinese company’s latest electric excavator this week in Munich, Germany.
SOURCE | IMAGES: XCMG.
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