Volvo Trucks North America has surpassed an important milestone in preparing its national dealer network to support customers with the deployment of its zero-tailpipe emission Volvo VNR Electric model.

More than twenty-five dealer locations across North America have now completed Volvo Trucks Certified Electric Vehicle (EV) Dealer program that was designed to ensure a comprehensive ecosystem of customer support for heavy-duty battery electric vehicle adoption.   

“Volvo Trucks is leading the deployment of Class 8 battery-electric trucks across North America by collaborating with our dealer network to provide customers comprehensive sales and service support,” said Peter Voorhoeve, president, Volvo Trucks North America.

“Selling the truck is only part of the equation; it takes an entire support ecosystem to successfully transition to battery-electric trucks. Without our dealer partners, accelerating the shift towards the widespread commercial adoption of electric vehicles would not be possible,” Voorhoeve added. 

Volvo Trucks First Certified EV Dealer

The Volvo Trucks Certified EV Dealer program was designed as part of the Volvo LIGHTS project, during which TEC Equipment, Volvo Trucks’ largest West Coast dealer group, supported the first Volvo VNR Electric demonstration trucks in 2020.

TEC Equipment’s Fontana location in Southern California helped to build the framework for the certification program and was the first dealership to achieve the certification and just recently certified its fourth location in Portland, Oregon. 

Today, Volvo Trucks has announced certified EV dealers in 15 states — California, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.

Plus, there are three Canadian provinces — British Columbia, Ontario, and Quebec.

Volvo Trucks is on track to certify numerous additional dealer locations across North America in 2023 as it progresses toward its goal of building a robust coast-to-coast dealer support network for battery-electric trucks.  

Comprehensive Electromobility Ecosystem

Sales teams at Volvo Trucks Certified EV Dealers are fully trained to consult with customers that are considering investing in the Volvo VNR Electric model and have access to a variety of resources and digital tools designed to help customers decarbonize their fleet and maximize vehicle performance and benefits: 

• Together with the VTNA EV team, certified EV dealers can support customers in identifying and applying for grants and incentive funding on the federal, state, and local levels to offset purchase costs. 

• The Electric Performance Generator (EPG) is a route planning tool that can help to identify the ideal Volvo VNR Electric configuration for the customer’s operations and simulate real-world routes to validate operational feasibility.  

• The Electromobility Total Cost of Ownership Tool assists fleets in making fact-based decisions about the business impact of purchasing and operating battery-electric trucks.   

• The Vendor Direct Shipping program supports customers in navigating the process to find the right charging infrastructure solution with the opportunity to procure mobile and fixed charging hardware solutions directly from Volvo Trucks dealers when they purchase Volvo VNR Electric trucks. 

Maximizing Volvo VNR Electric Uptime 

After vehicles are delivered, Volvo Trucks Certified EV Dealers serve as a local resource to fulfill the benefits delivered through the Volvo Gold Contract to ensure peak vehicle uptime, performance, and productivity.

Volvo Trucks’ premier service offering for the Volvo VNR Electric model, the Volvo Gold Contract, is a turn-key solution that covers all maintenance and repairs on the battery-electric truck, providing customers with operational peace of mind and includes:  

• Service technicians complete robust training courses on how to safely and efficiently perform maintenance and repairs on the complete electromobility system.  

• Dealers provide customers with access to 24/7 support, including tow services, should any issues arise.  

• Dealers maintain a stock of key parts and components for the VNR Electric model to minimize service times and quickly get customers back on the road. 

“The first 25 dealership locations were the early movers who chose to invest in the certification process so they are prepared to support customers in their region that are interested in deploying battery-electric trucks,” said Voorhoeve.

“Volvo Trucks supports our dealers and customers by continuously investing in solutions, tools and infrastructure to support widescale deployment, including the development of a nationwide network of publicly accessible medium- and heavy-duty electric vehicle charging stations strategically located along major transportation corridors and near Volvo Trucks Certified EV dealerships,” Voorhoeve added.  

To its customers' experience, Volvo is adding a new program: Vendor Direct Shipping. With the program, fleets have the opportunity to procure mobile and fixed charging hardware solutions directly from Volvo Trucks dealers when they purchase Volvo VNR Electric trucks.

Customers have Heliox two chargers to choose from: a 50kW Mobile DC Fast Charger or a 180kW Flex DC Fast Charger.