SWITCH-ON project has 70 Volvo VNR Electric trucks headed to California

SWITCH-ON is a $21.5M funding project supported by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the South Coast Air Quality Management District (South Coast AQMD) that will see more than 70 of Volvo’s VNR Electric delivered to customers.

The popularity of the Volvo VNR Electric semi continues to grow, and the federal and California state government are fully onboard. The SWITCH-ON project is backed by $19.5 million from the EPA’s Targeted Air Shed Grant Program and supplemented by $2 million from South Coast AQMD for charging infrastructure to improve air quality in Southern California.

Fleets planning to participate in the SWITCH-ON program include CEVA, IMC Logistics, Maersk, and others. the trucks will collect data on performance in drayage and freight applications through 2025, providing valuable insights for all the trucks.

“There are challenges on the road to electro mobility adoption, but through close collaboration with public entities, utilities, manufacturers and other key industry partners, we can overcome these barriers and achieve our zero-emission goals,” says Peter Voorhoeve, president of Volvo Trucks North America. “We’re pleased to say that with successful collaboration, we’ve together been able to find solutions that are critical for these fleets and have been able to deploy the 70 Volvo VNR Electric trucks. By sharing our experiences and overcoming these challenges, we are paving the way for a broader industry adoption, just as we did with the Volvo LIGHTS project and our participation in the JETSI project.”

The first 15 electric Class 8 tractors delivered were the first generation of commercially available Volvo VNR Electric trucks, while the remaining 55 will be next-generation models featuring extended range and faster charging capabilities.

Electrek’s Take

CEVA and Maersk join a growing list of companies – and they’re already adding to the tally of tens of millions of all-electric, zero emission miles driven by Volvo customers. By the time Volvo rolls out its next-generation VNL and FH electric semis next year, it will be the company’s third generation of Class 8 EVs, and it will be backed by more than 100,000,000 miles of real-world data collected by thousands of trucks across dozens of companies.

In addition adding more miles to the overall tally, the 70 Volvo VNR Electric trucks deployed through this grant are expected to provide lifetime emission reduction benefits exceeding 152.63 tons of NOx, 1.317 tons of PM2.5, and 53,160 tons of CO2. South Coast AQMD will lead efforts to evaluate the full breadth of emission reduction opportunities presented by electric semi trucks.

SOURCE | IMAGES: Volvo Trucks, via Clean Trucking.