Carbon neutrality is our collective responsibility, says the president of Volvo Trucks

Roger Alm is at the top of the pyramid Volvo Group about trucks. At the beginning of the week, the president of Volvo Trucks spoke to a group of North American trucking journalists in the brand new building The world of Volvo in Gothenburg, Sweden. On the menu: an update on Volvo Trucks’ latest achievements and its decarbonisation goals.

From the beginning, Mr. Alm noted that on a global scale, 14% of CO2 emissions come from transport in general, and 7% is produced by road transport.

“We have to reach certain goals. By 2040, 100% of our emissions must be zero, and we must halve our CO2 emissions by 2030.

Volvo is making good progress, notes Roger Alm. The manufacturer currently offers six electric truck models worldwide, including the VNR in North America, with two more to be added soon.

“But we must offer other options than battery electric trucks,” explained the president of Volvo Trucks, recalling the three pillars of decarbonization that the company intends to rely on to achieve its goals: batteries, hydrogen and combustion engines. Volvo recently entered into a joint venture with Westport Fuel Systema British Columbia company that develops a high-pressure, direct hydrogen-fueled internal combustion engine.

Roger Alm emphasized that never in its history has Volvo invested so much in research and development as today. Worldwide, Volvo has a network of 2,300 service centers in more than 150 countries. Today, more than 1.2 million Volvo trucks pass on the world’s roads.

In 2022, Volvo sold a record number of 147,421 trucks, then 147,252 trucks in 2023. “Each truck is important because behind each one, there is a customer,” said Mr. Alm.

“Carbon neutrality is the responsibility of all of us,” he said, adding that the company must offer more sustainable technologies, but also reduce CO2 emissions from its factories and businesses.

“The most important thing is what we leave for the next generation. What kind of trucks are we going to drive? What will the total cost of ownership be? How much freedom will these trucks have? They don’t care about that at all. What they care about is what we will give them for the future. .”