Volvo is celebrating the first electric truck built at their plant in Dublin, Virginia that will operate in the New River Valley.
The trucks are quiet, painted a teal-green color, and will be used to transport manufacturing equipment to the Volvo plant in Dublin.
Volvo has already made thousands of electric commercial trucks at other locations, which are in use in Europe, and hundreds at its plant in Pulaski County, many of which have been sold for use in California.
Rob Simpson is a manager at Volvo, and said the company aims to stop producing carbon emitting vehicles entirely by 2040. “Selfishly, I really want my grandchildren to grow up in the same kind of environment that I had, parks and streams and lots of places to play,” Simpson said.
But Volvo’s electric truck costs almost twice as much to produce as a diesel version. Simpson says companies can use government incentives to help subsidize the cost.
A trucking and logistics company, Camrett, based in Wytheville, is the buyer of the truck— they’ll use it to deliver parts.
Another company in Roanoke, Nacarato, is another partner, as the dealer. “People are naturally adverse to change. It takes bravery and a little bit of risk to do something like this,” said Bryan Slagle, general manager for Nacarato’s Mid-Atlantic Region.
The Dublin Volvo plant produces all of Volvo’s commercial trucks in North America and employs 3,700 people.
