Latest news with #LarsStenqvist
Forbes
05-07-2025
- Automotive
- Forbes
Forget Tesla's Semi, Volvo Trucks Are Electrifying Heavy Haulage Now
Volvo's FH Aero Electric promises up to 373 miles of 44-ton goods haulage. The transition to electric cars is moving fast in the UK and Europe, but the same cannot be said of commercial vehicles – particularly trucks. While there is now a huge choice of EVs available for personal use, the development of electrified heavy haulage has been much slower. Tesla's much-anticipated Semi has continually slipped with first customer deliveries now expected in March 2026. But one company leading the transition right now is Volvo Trucks. I talked to the Volvo Group Chief Technology Officer, Lars Stenqvist, about how his company is leading the decarbonization of road-based heavy goods delivery. 5,000 Electric Volvo Trucks On The Road Despite the name, Volvo Group, which owns the Volvo Trucks brand, is a separate company to Volvo Cars, having been separated out in 1999. This means that while the passenger car division is now under the ownership of Chinese company Geely, the commercial vehicles are still Swedish, although Volvo Group has other collaborations. Flexis vans come from a collaboration with Renault Group and shipping company CMA CGM. Volvo Group also owns Renault Trucks. Volvo Group's electric commercial vehicle range is already extensive, and has delivered over 5,000 electric trucks worldwide since 2019, logging more than 100 million miles of haulage. This makes it the biggest seller of electric heavy goods vehicles globally. The company makes the FM, FMX, FL, and FH, with electric ranges from 300km (186 miles) to 450km (280 miles). Volvo Group also makes electric diggers and buses, with the latter having autonomous potential, which could be used for moving passengers around airports, for example. Volvo Group also makes electric digging vehicles, as well as electric trucks. The Volvo FH Aero Electric is particularly important. Set to arrive later in 2025, this truck promises ranges up to 600km (373 miles), making long distance haulage possible. Having tested this vehicle myself on a private Volvo Group site, I found that, apart from the huge size of a 44-ton articulated truck, the FH Aero makes driving remarkably easy and not very noisy either. Sound and vibration contribute to driver fatigue, so the FH Aero can improve employee job satisfaction and safety. 'We are seen as pioneers, both in Europe and North America,' says Stenqvist. 'We offer vehicles up to 44-ton tractor-trailer combinations suitable for up to regional haul right now. From next year, we will start to produce vehicles that are more optimized for long haul, with up to 780kWh electric energy on board. We are proof that you can electrify heavy haulage.' Varying European Markets For Volvo Trucks However, uptake of electric trucks varies greatly even in Europe, where personal EV sales are burgeoning. 'It differs a lot between countries in Europe,' says Stenqvist. 'If you take Europe overall, only 1.5% of heavy-duty trucks were registered as zero emission vehicles in the first quarter of 2025. That is almost zero, you could say, so that's when you consider the glass to be half empty. If you consider the glass to be half full, then you must look at statistics from different countries. Then you have, for example, Switzerland, with around 11%; Norway, with around 9%; Sweden, north of 7%. When you come to a point around 10% then everyone sees that this is happening. This means that it will also be more interesting to invest in, for example, charging infrastructure, which is the true bottleneck to scale this to the levels where we need to be by 2030.' Volvo Group is also helping with this lack of charging infrastructure. Although some countries including the UK have plenty of ultra-rapid DC chargers for passenger EVs, even 350kW is a bit puny if your truck has hundreds of kWh of batteries. At the EVS38 event in Gothenburg in June, Volvo Group was demonstrating its collaboration with Milence to deliver Megawatt charging. The demonstration only hit 684kW, averaging around 630kW, but Volvo Group claimed this was a limitation of the current truck generation, and future vehicles will charge faster. 'That's definitely the trend,' says Stenqvist. 'If you have long-haul battery electric trucks with almost 800kWh on board, and you want to charge it during, let's say, the lunch break of the driver, then you need to have power levels of 700-750 kilowatts, or up to 1MW.' Megawatt charging will be essential for long-distance electric road haulage. Strangely, despite the UK just posting June personal car sales figures where BEVs were a quarter of the market, it's not one of the European countries leading with electric trucks yet. 'UK is very low,' says Stenqvist. 'Those countries where we see a clear uptake, around 10%, have good long-term incentive schemes in place. This makes it much easier for our customers to plan, because you must be long term when you're investing in these vehicles. The best driver is when you have usage-based incentives. In Switzerland, they have zero road tax for zero emission vehicles. It's very easy to remember: zero for zero. That means that they let the polluting technology pay for the transition. It's a very smart move, and that would stimulate the uptake in other countries. There is no reason for any country in Europe not to achieve 10% right now, but to go above the 10%, you need to invest heavily in charging infrastructure.' What About Hydrogen-Powered Volvo Trucks? Not everyone is convinced that battery electrification is the way forward for heavy goods haulage. Although fleet solutions provider VEV disagrees, there are companies that believe hydrogen will be a better way forward, such as UK initiative HyHaul. Volvo Trucks has offerings both for hydrogen fuel cells and combustion, although these are not in full commercial production yet, unlike its BEVs. 'We are very committed to decarbonizing road transport infrastructure, and we are convinced that there will be more than one technology needed to deliver on that commitment,' says Stenqvist. 'There are varying demands when it comes to different applications, but also different regions. There will be a lot of battery electric vehicles, but you will also see fuel cell electric vehicles operating on hydrogen. And we also believe that the combustion engine has a role to play in the long run in our industry. That's why we are going broad.' 'You will see applications that are more suitable for different technologies, but you will see even more regions that have a sweet spot for the different technologies,' says Stenqvist. 'One country where I'm very optimistic when it comes to hydrogen is India. India has a lot of potential for solar energy, and they can convert it to hydrogen at a very attractive price point. There are already today initiatives in India stimulating the uptake of hydrogen in the transport sector.' Volvo is still pursuing other energy sources for its trucks including hydrogen. The Middle East could also be a major player in a future hydrogen economy, as a replacement for its current oil business. 'Since we will see a dramatic drop in the consumption of fossil-based fuels, they need something else,' says Stenqvist. 'The Energy Minister of Saudi Arabia has a very clear focus on solar energy being converted to hydrogen and then exported either as liquid hydrogen or as ammonia. I'm convinced that you will see that being transported on ships. I even foresee that we will see pipeline distribution as well, carrying ammonia or hydrogen directly.' Methanol has been gaining interest in China as a decarbonizing fuel for both passenger and long-haul heavy goods vehicles. Farizon's Homtruck is a range-extending methanol vehicle, with 400km of pure electric range and another 1,000km with the methanol power. Around 5,000 trucks in China use Methanol M100, alongside 25-30,000 passenger vehicles. However, Stenqvist doesn't see this fuel being significant outside China. 'We have tested several different alternative renewable fuels,' he says. 'We do not foresee that there will be huge volumes of methanol going forward. We are more optimistic when it comes to synthetic e-fuel diesels, but also very optimistic when it comes to different kinds of methane, such as biogas or liquefied biogas.' Decarbonizing road haulage still faces many challenges, despite the success of Volvo Trucks so far. One of the main ones will be that the world's largest economy, the USA, is backpedaling away from green technology towards climate change denial. 'We are in rough waters right now,' says Stenqvist. 'We see that the transformation is slowing down, but I'm convinced that so many people believe that this transformation is necessary. We have so much evidence when it comes to climate change, we know what we need to do. This will happen. The wheels are turning. I'm convinced the technology will continue to be developed to deliver electrified road haulage.'
Newsweek
02-07-2025
- Automotive
- Newsweek
The Future of Autonomous Trucking Is Being Tested Today
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. There are millions more jobs driving trucks than there are drivers for those trucks. According to IRU, an organization representing 3.5 million mobility and logistics services globally, there are 3.6 million unfilled positions in 36 countries. Those 36 countries represent 70 percent of the global GDP. Technology that can help ease the problem is on the way. Many companies are testing driverless tractor-trailers on highways, including U.S. Interstates 35 and 45. Among those companies gearing up for an autonomous future is Volvo Group. Volvo Trucks currently sells 25 different types of trucks, from gasoline-powered long-haul transporters to the Volvo FM Low Entry, a high-capacity truck for urban work like garbage hauling or construction work. "At Volvo Group, our Volvo autonomous solutions are currently focused on hub-to-hub freight transport and mining, however the benefits of autonomy extend across multiple industries including construction and public transport," Lars Stenqvist, chief technology officer of Volvo Group, told Newsweek. Face of the Volvo VNL Autonomous truck. Face of the Volvo VNL Autonomous truck. Volvo Trucks More than just workforce shortages, Stenqvist views autonomous driving technology as safer for roadside workers and public transit riders. "Autonomous technology is already helping to address some of the logistics industry's most urgent challenges, such as driver shortages, growing freight demand, and long transit times. In construction, autonomy can deliver many of the same benefits, mitigating the shortage of skilled operators, enabling continuous operations, and improving site safety by removing people from hazardous environments. Similarly, in public transport, autonomy can help ease driver shortages, improve safety, and add much needed capacity," he said. Rather than replace drivers, Stenqvist envisions autonomous trucks as being able to perform "specific tasks on routes where autonomy can add the most value." The Volvo VNL heavy-duty truck was launched with autonomous operations in mind. "The Volvo VNL Autonomous is built on the all-new Volvo VNL, launched in January 2024. This truck model represents a 90% redesign from the ground up, with significant improvements in fuel efficiency, aerodynamics, and safety, making it the ideal platform for autonomous operations. "At Volvo Group, we made a deliberate choice to develop a new truck platform specifically for autonomous use. The Volvo VNL Autonomous is purpose-designed and purpose-built from the start, ensuring that every aspect of its design caters to the unique requirements of driverless operation—there are no afterthoughts, upgrades, or retrofitting involved," Stenqvist said. Each VNL Autonomous is equipped with redundant safety technology and equipment including brakes, steering, communication systems, power and energy storage, vehicle motion management operations and lights. The VNL Autonomous also has Aurora's self-driving technology, Aurora Driver, integrated into it. "We view autonomy as a fully integrated system, not as an add-on. From redundant harnessing to protected sensor mounts, every component is engineered for durability, safety, and scalability. Autonomy is embedded, not bolted on, and every design choice reflects our commitment to this principle," Stenqvist said. Volvo manufactures the truck at the company's New River Valley plant in Dublin, Virginia. Autonomous driving operations are enabled by artificial intelligence (AI). "AI is not just at the heart of autonomous transport, it enables intelligence across the entire solution stack. At Volvo Group, we view AI as the critical layer that empowers perception, decision-making, and intelligent vehicle control while always being anchored in safety, reliability, and operational integrity," the CTO said. "Our Volvo VNL Autonomous in its first application is powered by the Aurora Driver, which incorporates Aurora's carefully engineered approach known as Verifiable AI. In parallel, we also have a partnership with Waabi. The Waabi Driver brings a next-generation approach using generative AI trained in advanced simulation. Their system is designed to learn quickly, adapt across regions, and smoothly integrate." There isn't one particular area of autonomous driving that stands out to Stenqvist as being the most challenging."Autonomy is a systems challenge," he said. Stenqvist continued: "Autonomy presents a multifaceted challenge that goes far beyond perception and control. It demands system-level safety, full redundancy, large-scale validation, and seamless integration into complex operational environments. "Building an autonomous truck is particularly demanding. It's not just about software or retrofitting sensors—it involves adding over 200 components, including advanced sensors and redundant systems for all safety-critical functions. These must be integrated from the ground up into a cohesive, fail-operational architecture that performs reliably at highway speeds and across a wide range of weather and lighting conditions. "Sensor fusion, redundancy design, and robust autonomy stack performance are major engineering challenges. Delivering this capability on a scale, with OEM-grade quality and consistency, is equally critical. This is where Volvo Group has a distinct advantage, drawing on decades of experience in vehicle safety, industrialization, and high-quality manufacturing to make autonomy viable at scale." And the company sees autonomy not just as a next step but as a game-changing solution for the trucking industry. "Autonomy is more than a technological leap—it's a critical enabler for meeting growing freight demand, improving safety, and addressing labor shortages. At Volvo Group, we see autonomy as a key driver of long-term efficiency and progress, paving the way for a more resilient future for the transport industry," Stenqvist said. Daimler Truck's Freighliner Cascadia being tested in an autonomous driving scenario by Torc. Daimler Truck's Freighliner Cascadia being tested in an autonomous driving scenario by Torc. Daimler Truck Volvo isn't the only company in the throws of autonomous truck testing. Torc, a subsidiary of Daimler Truck, is testing its driverless trucks along routes in New Mexico, Texas and Arizona. Like Volvo, the company has built redundancies into its fifth-generation Freightliner Cascadia, which is used for the tests. Torc and its parent company aim to enter the U.S. market with an SAE Level 4 autonomous truck by 2027, it said in April. SAE Level 4 autonomous trucks can operate without a driver under limited conditions. The companies plan to market the truck for use between freight hubs.
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Engadget Podcast: Volvo Group's CTO on his vision for zero-emission trucks
This week, Devindra chats with Volvo Group CTO Lars Stenqvist about the company's progress developing zero emissions trucks, both of the electric variety and experimental hydrogen options. While it's a completely different company from Volvo Cars, Volvo Group still impacts consumers as one of the largest producers of heavy trucks. Stenqvist dives into how Volvo is thinking about new technology, and we chat a bit about how it's approaching completely autonomous vehicles. (Note: This interview was recorded in early January, so we didn't have a chance to talk about this week's partnership between Volvo and the self-driving truck startup Waabi.) Listen below or subscribe on your podcast app of choice. If you've got suggestions or topics you'd like covered on the show, be sure to email us or drop a note in the comments! And be sure to check out our other podcast, Engadget News! iTunes Spotify Pocket Casts Stitcher Google Podcasts Host: Devindra HardawarGuest: Lars Stenqvist, CTO Volvo GroupProducer: Ben EllmanMusic: Dale North
