Australia Post has taken delivery of its first Volvo Electric vehicle, as the parcel logistics giant continues its sustainability drive.
Part of a six-month trial, the Electric FL utilises four batteries to achieve an energy capacity of 265 kWh. The Volvo has a range of up to 300 kilometres depending on application and the payload is up to 5,500kg. The electric driveline provides 425Nm of torque, which is delivered to the rear wheels via a 2-speed automated transmission.
Electric FL maintains a full suite of active safety systems including Autonomous Emergency Braking. The Electric FL also achieves the rigorous Swedish BOF10 crash rating which surpasses current European crash test standards.
“It’s very rewarding seeing these vehicles go into service after so much hard work ensuring they are the right fit for both our market and the applications they are being put into,” says Tim Camilleri, E-mobility Manager, Volvo Group Australia. “These vehicles are proving themselves day in and day out around the globe.”
“We don’t experiment on our customers; we work with them to deliver the right zero emissions outcome for their business and that means advising on utilisation and charging as well. In this case the FL Electric is an excellent fit for Australia Post.”
Australia Post Divisional General Manager South, James Dixon says this trial demonstrates Australia Post’s commitment to innovation and sustainability.
“We have worked hard to help reduce our carbon emissions over the last decade, including by adopting low and zero emission vehicles where possible with the largest fleet of electric delivery vehicles in Australia,” explains Dixon.
“The truck has been in service for a couple of months now and is performing well,” Dixon continues. “We will continue to push electric vehicles into our fleet where we can to help reduce emissions wherever we can.”
Volvo Trucks Australia has had Medium Duty battery electric trucks operating successfully in Australia since mid- 2021. With the assistance of the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator, Transport and Main Roads QLD, Volvo Trucks Australia has recently been given the green light to begin local validation of Heavy-Duty electric trucks on Queensland roads at weights of up to 42,500kg.
These vehicles will have the latest heavy vehicle safety features such as lane keeping assist, blind spot detection, passenger corner camera, dynamic steering with stability assist, underrun protection, collision warning with emergency brake and electronically controlled brake systems.
