Volvo Trucks Korea has announced the completion of dedicated charging facilities for large electric trucks at three of its directly-operated service centers located in Dongtan, Incheon, and Gimhae, marking the first of its kind in South Korea.
The facilities at Volvo Trucks Korea’s charging stations are part of the first phase in the roadmap established for building a charging network aimed at supporting the domestic introduction and commercialization of large electric trucks. A total of 26 rapid chargers have been installed at the service centers in Dongtan, Incheon, and Gimhae.
The 350kW ultra-rapid chargers installed at Volvo Trucks’ charging stations can charge the SOC (state of charge) of the FH Electric’s battery to 80% within 1.5 hours. This is due to the consistent charging speed of 250kW per hour up to 80% battery capacity for the Volvo FH Electric.
Volvo Trucks has also set phased goals related to building electric vehicle charging infrastructure to accelerate the transition to electric trucks. The recent establishment of electric truck charging facilities at direct service centers is just the first stage; the second phase will begin preparations for installing charging infrastructures at 31 of Volvo Trucks’ own service network facilities nationwide, with construction expected to start in the second half of the year.
In the third stage, discussions are underway with charging service providers to establish charging facilities for commercial vehicles at key port facilities and logistics hubs, considering the characteristics of large trucks in densely trafficked areas. Finally, a proactive consultation with the government and public agencies is planned to expand dedicated charging infrastructure for commercial vehicles.
Since 2019, Volvo Trucks has been a pioneer in the production of large electric trucks, currently offering a total of six electric truck models, making it the company with the broadest product range in the industry. As of the end of 2023, it held a 49% market share in Europe for large electric trucks weighing over 16 tons, and the large electric truck ‘FH Electric’ was selected as the ‘2024 International Truck of the Year (IToY 2024)’, proving its excellent performance.
In March 2023, Volvo Trucks Korea showcased the FH Electric as the first large electric truck in the country’s commercial vehicle industry and is currently conducting preparations to deliver the Volvo electric truck FH Electric to customers by the third quarter of 2025.
Park Kang-seok, CEO of Volvo Trucks Korea, stated, “Sustainability is a reality we can no longer postpone, and the transition to electrification is not a matter of choice but a demand of the era. Volvo Trucks is striving to expand the adoption of electric trucks as emission-free transportation options in terms of sustainability in the trucking industry.” He also added, “Volvo Trucks Korea is committed to alleviating the concerns customers may have about charging facilities, one of their primary worries when purchasing electric trucks, and is continuing efforts to accelerate the domestic adoption of large electric trucks. We expect ongoing collaborations with more partners for the establishment of charging infrastructure.”
Additionally, as part of its commitment to achieving the sustainability goals of the Volvo Group, Volvo Trucks Korea invested approximately 6 billion won to equip the three directly-operated service centers in Dongtan, Incheon, and Gimhae with solar power generation facilities, transitioning the electricity used in Korea to 100% green energy.
Under the group-level vision of sustainability, Volvo Trucks aims to replace 50% of trucks sold by 2030 with electric trucks or products that do not emit carbon dioxide, and to replace all products sold by 2040 with carbon-neutral alternatives. Furthermore, by 2050, Volvo Trucks aims to achieve net zero across all processes related to Volvo Group’s vision for sustainability and carbon neutrality.
Lee Sang-jin daedusj@autodiary.kr