Volvo Trucks North America’s customers and carrier partners, Watsontown Trucking Company and Camrett Logistics, have placed orders for their first Volvo VNR Electric trucks. By the end of 2021, the Virginia-based fleets will utilize the zero tailpipe emission trucks to transport inbound parts and components daily to the Volvo Trucks New River Valley Assembly Operations (NRV) in Dublin, Virginia, where every Volvo truck in North America is assembled. The Volvo VNR Electric model entered serial production at NRV earlier this year.

Volvo VNR Electric NRV zero-emissions logistics transport vehicle

An important part of Volvo Trucks’ sustainability strategy is to reduce CO₂ from our own operations globally and putting the Volvo VNR Electric to work, servicing our NRV operations. This initiative with Watsontown Trucking Company and Camrett Logistics presents an exciting opportunity to continue partnering with fleets that were already servicing our local NRV logistics routes, and to utilize Volvo VNR Electrics to reduce the carbon footprint of our own supply chain.

We are excited to see the first deployments of our battery-electric model in Virginia, and glad to have the support of our local dealer, Nacarato Truck Centers, to ensure a positive customer experience after the sale.

—Peter Voorhoeve, president, Volvo Trucks North America

The two Volvo VNR Electric models ordered through this initiative, which was first announced in August 2021, will be the first battery-electric trucks deployed in each company’s fleet. The trucks will complete 10 to 12 roundtrips per day as they travel from their local warehouse facilities to NRV.

The Volvo VNR Electric’s 264-kWh lithium-ion batteries have an operating range of up to 150 miles. Regenerative braking can increase range by returning up to 15% of the power back to the battery, depending on the duty cycle. Both fleets will recharge their Volvo VNR Electrics at their local facilities.

Watsontown Trucking Company operates a fleet of 425 trucks that perform over-the-road transport, as well as regional haul and last-mile delivery—two applications that the Volvo VNR Electric model was designed to support. The valuable insight and hands-on experience that Watsontown will gain by operating the battery-electric trucks for its NRV supply routes will contribute to the company’s future battery-electric truck deployments plans and support their sustainability goals.

Camrett Logistics operates a fleet of 18 Volvo trucks, and the Volvo VNR Electric will be the company’s first battery-electric truck. By operating their Volvo VNR Electric on short-haul runs to and from NRV, both Camrett Logistics and Volvo Trucks will have the opportunity to gather real-world data that can assist with the ongoing expansion of zero-emission logistics nationwide.

Camrett Logistics is also making investments in solar panels to power all their facilities with a goal of electrifying all the Class 8 trucks in their operations. The Volvo VNR Electric will be serviced at the local Volvo Trucks dealership, Nacarato Truck Centers, in Roanoke, Virginia, which is working toward becoming a Volvo EV Certified Dealership. Camrett Logistics is also working to train technicians at its own shop to service electric trucks.

Producers Dairy. Separately, Producers Dairy, a Central California-based dairy processor and direct-to-store supplier, has placed an order for two Volvo VNR Electric trucks—anticipated to be the first commercial battery-electric Class 8 trucks to be deployed in California’s Central Valley.

In late 2021, these VNR Electric models from Volvo Trucks North America will begin to service Producers Dairy’s fleet routes from its Fresno manufacturing facility to grocery stores in communities along the 40-mile stretch of Highway 99 from Selma to Madera, California.

The two Volvo VNR Electric units will be the first battery-electric vehicles in the company’s fleet of more than 300 trucks. To support the charging of its battery-electric fleet, Producers Dairy has installed two 150 kW DC fast chargers at its Fresno dairy processing facility with the ability to upgrade for future capacity.

Producers Dairy secured funding for the Volvo VNR Electrics from Voucher Incentive Program (VIP) Plus-Up funding. The Plus-Up funding is made possible through a partnership between South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) and Mobile Source Air Pollution Reduction Review Committee (MSRC).