Volvo achieves a groundbreaking milestone as its heavy electric truck, the Volvo FH Electric, makes history by being crowned the International Truck of the Year 2024. This remarkable achievement marks the first time an electric truck has received Europe's coveted accolade for heavy-duty commercial vehicles.
Established in 1977, the International Truck of the Year organization comprises 24 esteemed commercial vehicle journalists from prominent trucking magazines across Europe. Annually, the award recognizes the truck introduced in the market within the past 12 months that has demonstrated the most substantial impact on road transport efficiency. The trucks are scored based on several key criteria, these include technological innovation, comfort, safety, driveability, energy efficiency, environmental footprint, and total cost of ownership.
In their explanation as to how the FH Electric earned the crown, the panel commended the electric truck for its exceptional performance, smooth acceleration, noiselessness, and absence of vibrations.
“With the introduction of the FH Electric, Volvo Trucks has delivered a state-of-the-art battery electric vehicle range, suitable for a wide array of transport operations. It's proof that the energy transition is gaining strength even in today's challenging business environment.”
Meanwhile, Roger Alm, President of Volvo Trucks, proudly received the award last November 22, 2023, at the Solutrans Transport Exhibition in Lyon, France. Expressing his pride, he stated, “I am so very proud that our Volvo FH Electric has won this highly respected award. For the first time in history, the transport industry has chosen an electric vehicle as Truck of the Year. The Volvo FH Electric represents a new era in trucking and winning this award clearly shows that the shift to zero-emission transport is happening here and now.”
The FH Electric’s crowning glory is the fourth time a Volvo FH model has been honored as Truck of the Year, a testament to its enduring excellence. With close to 1.4 million trucks sold globally, the Volvo FH stands as one of the industry's most successful models to date. Here in the Philippines, Volvo Trucks offers the diesel-powered FH with a range of variants. As for the arrival of electric heavy trucks like the FH Electric though, that might be a long way away.
