Gothenburg, Sweden – DHL Freight, one of the leading road freight providers in Europe, and Volvo Trucks have partnered to speed up the introduction of heavy duty electric trucks to be used for regional transport in Europe. The combined effort marks another important step towards climate neutral transport solutions.

So far, the main use of electric trucks has been for shorter distances within cities and urban areas. Now DHL Freight and Volvo Trucks have initiated a project focusing on longer distance heavy transports. The cooperation includes exclusive, worldwide first pilot tests of a fully electric Volvo FH truck with gross combination weights up to 60 tons.

Starting in March, the truck will operate between two DHL Freight logistics terminals in Sweden, a distance of approximately 150km. During the trial, Volvo and DHL will gain important experience and information regarding the setup and operation of an adequate charging infrastructure. The collected insights will help to optimize the right balance between operated distance, load weight and charging points in daily road freight operations.

“Our aim is to reduce all logistics-related emissions to zero. Important milestones have already been achieved in meeting this: compared to 2007, our Group’s CO2 efficiency has improved by 35%. However, we need innovative technological solutions and strong partnerships along this journey,” says Uwe Brinks, CEO at DHL Freight.

Volvo Trucks President Roger Alm added, “The transport business is changing rapidly and to be sustainable is an increasingly important business advantage for many of our customers. We offer effective transport solutions that help make a fast transition to fossil-free fuels such as electricity. We have a longstanding relationship with DHL.”

DHL Freight has introduced a climate-focused shipping program in Sweden. Customers using the program pay a fixed surcharge for every parcel or pallet shipped and the income generated from the surcharges is fully invested in clean technologies within the Swedish network.

Volvo FL Electric and Volvo FE Electric trucks for city distribution are already in serial production. DHL Supply Chain recently put a new Volvo FL Electric into operation in London, thereby introducing the first purpose-built fully electric Volvo truck for city distribution in the UK.

At the end of last year, Volvo Trucks in North America started sales of the VNR Electric, and this year will mark the sales start in Europe of the heavy-duty electric product range.

“Our commitment is that our entire truck sales range will be fossil-free by 2040 at the latest,” concludes Roger Alm.

Lordstown, Ohio – Ironworkers at Ultium Cells LLC’s battery cell manufacturing facility marked a construction milestone with the final beam installation at what will soon be a 2.8 million ft² operation.

The team hoisted and installed the final beam as part of a traditional topping out ceremony, where leadership and trade partner employees had the opportunity to sign the beam.

Ultium Cells, a joint venture between General Motors and LG Chem, will mass-produce Ultium battery cells at the facility to advance the push for a zero-emissions, all-electric future. GM and LG Chem are investing $2.3 billion in the facility to support electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing in the U.S.

More than 500,000 hours have been devoted to development of the facility, which is slated for completion in 2022. This includes creation and installation of the USA-made steel structure. The building’s framework allows for an innovative open floor plan environment, with a main corridor spanning the width of the building interior and creating a natural connection point across the operation. The plant will equal the size of 30 football fields and will have annual capacity of over 30gWh with room to expand.

“We are pleased construction at Ultium continues to progress safely and on schedule,” said Kee Eun, president of Ultium Cells LLC. “While we faced unprecedented challenges from the very beginning due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have been able to execute successfully according to plan thanks to the collaborative efforts between GM and LG Chem, as well as the support and commitment from our contract partners and the local community.”

As construction continues, so does hiring. The company will onboard 30 new Ultium Cells team members on March 1. Ultium Cells will create more than 1,100 new jobs in Northeast Ohio and is hiring to fill those positions.

“This is a significant milestone for the Ultium Cells team and our construction trade partners as we continue to build our physical foundation through the construction of our site, and our cultural foundation as we stand up our workforce,” said Tom Gallagher, operations director of Ultium Cells LLC. “Ultium Cells is on track to achieve our vision of an inclusive and engaged workforce as we add 30 more launch team members in March. It is exciting to see the team coming together to support the launch of this important business.”

Cologne, Germany – All of Ford or Europe’s vehicles will be available in as all-electric models by 2026, the automaker says, and it’s committing $1 billion to upgrade German operations to get there. By mid-2026, the automaker’s European will be all-electric or plug-in hybrid and will be completely electric vehicles (EVs) by 2030.

Ford’s commercial vehicle range will be zero-emissions capable, EV or plug-in hybrid, by 2024, with two-thirds of Ford’s commercial vehicle sales expected to be all-electric or plug-in hybrid by 2030.

“We successfully restructured Ford of Europe and returned to profitability in the fourth quarter of 2020. Now we are charging into an all-electric future in Europe with expressive new vehicles and a world-class connected customer experience,” said Stuart Rowley, president, Ford of Europe.

The $1 billion investment to modernize Ford’s vehicle assembly facility in Cologne, Germany, will transform the existing vehicle assembly operations into the Ford Cologne Electrification Center for the manufacture of electric vehicles, Ford’s first such facility in Europe.

Ford also confirmed that its first European-built, EVc passenger vehicle for European customers will be produced at the facility from 2023, with the potential for a second all-electric vehicle built there under consideration.

“Our announcement today to transform our Cologne facility, the home of our operations in Germany for 90 years, is one of the most significant Ford has made in over a generation. It underlines our commitment to Europe and a modern future with electric vehicles at the heart of our strategy for growth,” Rowley said.

”The decision to make the production and development site in Cologne the e-mobility center for Ford in Europe is an important signal to the entire workforce,” said Martin Hennig, chairman of the General Works Council of Ford-Werke GmbH. “It offers a long-term perspective for our employees and at the same time encourages them to help shape this electric future.”