Volvo Trucks North America announced it has delivered seven Volvo VNR Electric trucks to Ryder System, Inc. to support local supply chain routes servicing the Volvo Group’s truck assembly operations in Pennsylvania.

Ryder replaced the diesel trucks that were previously servicing the route and will operate the zero-tailpipe emissions Class 8 battery-electric trucks to support the Volvo Group’s sustainability goal of reducing CO2 from its global operations, according to Volvo Trucks' news release.

“Volvo Trucks is committed to building a decarbonized future and working with supplier and carrier partners, such as Ryder, who are committed to sustainability,” said Peter Voorhoeve, president of Volvo Trucks North America. “One of our core company values is environmental stewardship, and by manufacturing and utilizing our own zero-tailpipe emission trucks, we are making good on our promise to lead the commercial transport industry toward more sustainable solutions by advancing electromobility.” 

Volvo Financial Services (VFS) worked with Ryder to place all seven of the VNR Electric trucks on five-year vehicle-as-a-service fair market value (FMV) leases. The FMV lease model provides the option for Ryder to purchase the Volvo VNR Electric trucks at the current market cost at the end of the lease term. The leasing program with VFS helps to lower the upfront investment and risk while fleets continue to evolve their experience and offerings with battery-electric trucks. 

“Ryder has been a long-standing leader in integrating alternative fuel vehicles into our fleet with a goal of driving more sustainable solutions for our customers,” said Steve Sensing, Ryder president for supply chain solutions. “The work that Volvo Trucks has done to accelerate Class 8 battery-electric technology is impressive, with successful working fleets. We are excited for the opportunity to collaborate with an industry leader and get hands-on experience with integrating the Volvo VNR Electric truck in our fleet.” 

This month, Ryder began operating the Volvo VNR Electric trucks on two shifts completing up to eight round trips daily, with all seven trucks transporting assembly kits of components for heavy-duty trucks at the nearby kitting facility to Mack Trucks’ Lehigh Valley Operations (LVO) plant in Macungie, Pennsylvania. To charge the vehicles, Ryder will utilize five mobile 50 kW chargers available at the plant, which will be replaced with six permanent chargers.

There was a familiar announcement from Volvo Trucks recently, as McLane Company announced it is taking delivery of three Volvo VNR Electric trucks to provide zero-tailpipe emission deliveries in Southern California.

Volvo Staying Involved

Volvo Trucks North America continues to stay in the news as the company also recently announced it is offering a new program that will let customers more easily get electric-truck chargers by ordering through their dealers. The Vendor Direct Shipping program gives fleets the opportunity to procure mobile and fixed charging hardware solutions directly from Volvo Trucks dealers when they purchase Volvo VNR Electric trucks.

The company introduced the electromobility total cost of ownership (TCO) tool, which supports customers to make fact-based decisions about the business impact of purchasing and operating zero-tailpipe emission battery-electric trucks.

Continuing with the latest Volvo Trucks news, the company announced the testing of fuel-cell electric trucks in commercial traffic will start in 2025 with selected customers in Northern Europe, followed by additional trucks in more countries over the coming years. The goal of the pilot tests will be to look at all different aspects of the truck’s operation including working components, handling, and driver experience.