Volvo Trucks North America has announced the culmination of the Volvo LIGHTS project, an innovative three-year project that brought together 14 public and private partners to design and implement a blueprint for the robust support ecosystem necessary to deploy battery-electric trucks and equipment at scale. During the project, which ran from 2019 to 2022 in California’s South Coast Air Basin, Volvo Trucks deployed its first Class 8 pilot Volvo VNR Electric trucks to fleet operators to collect real-world operating data and customer feedback ahead of announcing its commercial model in December 2020.The Volvo LIGHTS project was led by Volvo Group North America and California’s South Coast Air Quality Management District (South Coast AQMD), and included NFI Industries (NFI), Dependable Highway Express (DHE), TEC Equipment, Shell Recharge Solutions (formerly Greenlots), Port of Long Beach, Port of Los Angeles, Southern California Edison (SCE), CALSTART, University of California, Riverside CE-CERT, Reach Out, Rio Hondo College, and San Bernardino Valley College.During the multi-year project, Volvo Group North America collaborated with each organization to develop programs and best practices that would help lay the foundation for the successful commercialization of battery-electric freight trucks, including but not limited to:Identifying ideal routes for electrification, Volvo Trucks deployed 30 Volvo VNR Electric trucks to 11 fleets to operate in their daily Southern California fleet routes to assess many factors that may impact vehicle range, including topography, ambient temperature, traffic patterns, driving styles, and more. The insights gained were informative as Volvo Trucks introduced the Electric Performance Generator, its route planning tool which enables fleet managers to simulate real-world routes for their VNR Electric trucks.Reliable and cost-effective charging infrastructure - Multiple project partners collaborated with Shell Recharge Solutions and SCE on the installation and energization of 58 networked public and private electric vehicle charging stations, identifying opportunities to streamline processes, shorten installation timelines, and refine existing laws related to allowing entities other than utilities to re-sell electricity for EV charging. SCE also conducted a site grid system impact study to help plans for supporting a future of fully electrified goods movement.Technician training programs - Rio Hondo College and San Bernardino Valley College both collaborated with Volvo Trucks to launch heavy-duty electric truck technician training programs, with a combined total of more than 45 graduates throughout the project.First responder training programs - Throughout the project, Reach Out, a local outreach organization worked with Volvo Trucks to keep community stakeholders informed about the project. This partnership helped facilitate the development of training materials for first responders to raise awareness about the high-voltage components on the Volvo VNR Electric and develop the first responder safety document that is now publicly available from the National Fire Protection Agency.
Volvo Trucks North America has announced the culmination of the Volvo LIGHTS project, an innovative three-year project that brought together 14 public and private partners to design and implement a blueprint for the robust support ecosystem necessary to deploy battery-electric trucks and equipment at scale. During the project, which ran from 2019 to 2022 in California’s South Coast Air Basin, Volvo Trucks deployed its first Class 8 pilot Volvo VNR Electric trucks to fleet operators to collect real-world operating data and customer feedback ahead of announcing its commercial model in December 2020.The Volvo LIGHTS project was led by Volvo Group North America and California’s South Coast Air Quality Management District (South Coast AQMD), and included NFI Industries (NFI), Dependable Highway Express (DHE), TEC Equipment, Shell Recharge Solutions (formerly Greenlots), Port of Long Beach, Port of Los Angeles, Southern California Edison (SCE), CALSTART, University of California, Riverside CE-CERT, Reach Out, Rio Hondo College, and San Bernardino Valley College.During the multi-year project, Volvo Group North America collaborated with each organization to develop programs and best practices that would help lay the foundation for the successful commercialization of battery-electric freight trucks, including but not limited to:Identifying ideal routes for electrification, Volvo Trucks deployed 30 Volvo VNR Electric trucks to 11 fleets to operate in their daily Southern California fleet routes to assess many factors that may impact vehicle range, including topography, ambient temperature, traffic patterns, driving styles, and more. The insights gained were informative as Volvo Trucks introduced the Electric Performance Generator, its route planning tool which enables fleet managers to simulate real-world routes for their VNR Electric trucks.Reliable and cost-effective charging infrastructure - Multiple project partners collaborated with Shell Recharge Solutions and SCE on the installation and energization of 58 networked public and private electric vehicle charging stations, identifying opportunities to streamline processes, shorten installation timelines, and refine existing laws related to allowing entities other than utilities to re-sell electricity for EV charging. SCE also conducted a site grid system impact study to help plans for supporting a future of fully electrified goods movement.Technician training programs - Rio Hondo College and San Bernardino Valley College both collaborated with Volvo Trucks to launch heavy-duty electric truck technician training programs, with a combined total of more than 45 graduates throughout the project.First responder training programs - Throughout the project, Reach Out, a local outreach organization worked with Volvo Trucks to keep community stakeholders informed about the project. This partnership helped facilitate the development of training materials for first responders to raise awareness about the high-voltage components on the Volvo VNR Electric and develop the first responder safety document that is now publicly available from the National Fire Protection Agency.
