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truck technology<br />
VOLVO EYES<br />
FOSSIL-FREE<br />
FUTURE<br />
Volvo Group Australia’s recent press conference<br />
coincided with the release of an updated range<br />
of Volvo Trucks, as well as the arrival of the new<br />
Mack Anthem. Ben Dillon writes<br />
AMID A SHOWROOM backdrop of Volvo<br />
Group Australia’s (VGA) latest offerings,<br />
President and CEO Martin Merrick outlined<br />
VGA’s direction in the local market during<br />
the group’s 2021 press conference at it’s<br />
Wacol, Queensland headquarters, stating<br />
that its global aim is to have 35 per cent of<br />
Volvo trucks utilising electric drivetrains<br />
by 2030.<br />
While Merrick wouldn’t provide an estimate<br />
on the percentage of local electric trucks the<br />
company hoped to be shifting by the 2030 target,<br />
he set out a road map for the brand, which<br />
features electric and alternative fuel drivetrains.<br />
Another couple of future dates to keep in mind<br />
for Volvo are 2040, when the company says it will<br />
no longer be using fossil fuels, stating that liquid<br />
natural gas (LNG) and biodiesel will be the future<br />
drink of choice for its trucks, and 2050 which is<br />
the target set by the company to become carbon<br />
neutral. “We are on a journey toward fossil-free<br />
transport solutions by 2040. That said, the internal<br />
combustion engine will be with us in Australia for<br />
a very long time to come,” Merrick says.<br />
“With the research going on today into<br />
alternative fuels perhaps we will see an internal<br />
combustion engine which is fossil-free.”<br />
When questioned if a hydrogen-fuelled internal<br />
76 APRIL 2021 ownerdriver.com.au
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