The first electric Volvo truck on Australian roads is getting a tick of approval from one of the most authoritative voices in the transport industry – a truck driver.
It follows more than seven months on the road with 6000 kilometres of driving and more than 5200 kilowatt hours. Rob Smith has been driving trucks for Linfox for over 17 years and currently operates out of the BevChain Distribution Centre in Melbourne’s outer west.
The Volvo FL Electric he drives operates across a variety of routes across the city delivering Victoria Bitter and other Asahi Beverages beer to pubs, restaurants and bottle shops on a daily basis. As a driver, Smith enjoys his days behind the wheel of the electric Volvo as well as the job at hand.
“The truck itself is actually quite peaceful to drive, in some ways it’s just like any other truck but in others it’s smoother, quieter, it’s enjoyable” he says. “When I hop out of the truck, I don’t hear engine noise and I don’t have the fumes, none of that.”
However, the truck certainly attracts its fair share of attention. “You get a lot more eye contact on the road as people look at it. It’s great, I get a lot of questions. Everyone wants to know where the batteries are, people are very interested in the lack of noise and how far it goes, is it good to drive, things like that.”
“This truck’s doing well – it’s doing the job of a diesel truck. Trucks like this one are the future,” he says.
Volvo Group Australia emerging technologies vice president Paul Illmer reckons you can’t get a much better voice of authority than the end user of the product. “We can continue to point out the real-world benefits of zero emissions vehicles, but it’s ultimately the people that interact with this vehicle on a daily basis that will help educate others to their advantages.
“A smooth drivetrain, lack of fumes and noise create a calmer work environment, but it’s also the flow-on benefits to society as a whole that will drive towards a future of cleaner, quieter cities. This truck represents the thin end of the wedge on our zero emissions journey in Australia, and that journey is accelerating faster than many can imagine,” Illmer says.
Source: Transport Talk
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