Volvo's fleet of electric vehicles got a big boost recently, after an Australian shipping company put a massive order in for its semi-trucks.
According to CleanTechnica, Australian shipping company Linfox ordered 30 prime movers from the Swedish company and encouraged them to start production on the electric semi-trucks earlier than scheduled.
They requested 29 of the company's FH electric models, and one FM model. The fully electric vehicles will go to Queensland, Victoria, and South Australia.
The trucks will have a range of between 250 and 300 kilometers (155 to 186 miles) a day, meaning they're most likely to be used over smaller distances between hubs, rather than along the 1,000-kilometer (621-mile) route between capitals.
The 30 trucks may seem like small potatoes for Linfox, whose fleet comprises 5,000 trucks and span the vast majority of the Australian continent, but Volvo sees it as an opportunity to further prove the trucks' value and usefulness.
"This is a really bold step that will give other companies the confidence to do this," Volvo Group Australia President Martin Merrick said. "We have around 90 battery electric trucks running around Australia today operating successfully and they've covered over 1.1 million kilometres collectively so they're doing the job that people thought they couldn't do."
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One of the most frequent criticisms of EVs is that while they're great for transporting people, they lack the power necessary to haul large loads across moderate and long distances with the speed and consistency of gas-powered semis.
However, those opinions may be changing.
Mining companies have been investing in battery-powered heavy equipment rather than gas, while American shipping giant Schneider has invested heavily in electric semis as well.
While Australia's infrastructure for charging semis is still underdeveloped along longer routes, it's clear that Linfox is set to help Volvo prove just what these vehicles can do, while reducing their carbon footprint. The more electric semis are adopted by shipping companies and prove their worth, the more companies will be willing to invest in them.
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