Brisbane to be a key player in electric trucks
Volvo will build the first-ever Australian-made heavy duty electric trucks at its Wacol facility in Brisbane from next year.
Volvo Group Australia has announced it will begin building the first-ever Australian-made heavy-duty electric trucks at its Wacol facility in Brisbane next year.
The announcement coincided with Volvo's delivery of 10 heavy-duty electric trucks to logistics company, Linfox, the biggest single delivery of such trucks in Australia, and part of a larger order by Linfox for 30 electric Volvos.
In total, 10 of the 30 electric trucks will be manufactured at Wacol and carry the Australian Made label, a move that Volvo says will position the Swedish truck maker as the leader in new electric truck manufacturing in Australia.
Linfox has already successfully trialled Volvo electric trucks, beginning with two vehicles in 2021 and expanding to four in 2023.
The order for 30 new trucks will comprise 29 FM Electric and one FH Electric model.
A statement from Volvo said manufacturing electric trucks in Australia would expand the nation’s manufacturing capabilities, help accelerate the adoption of battery-electric technology, and lower emissions throughout the Australian road transport sector.
President and CEO of Volvo Group Martin Lundstedt said it marked the dawn of a new era for Australian manufacturing.
“This landmark order from Linfox, coupled with our commitment to build a third of these electric vehicles right here in Australia, demonstrates our confidence in the local industry's potential to lead the way in sustainable heavy transport, perfectly suited to Australia’s demanding distances and conditions," Mr Lundstedt said.
President of Volvo Group Australia Martin Merrick said manufacturing a significant portion of the electric trucks locally was a key pillar of Volvo’s long-term vision for Australia.
“We are dedicated to establishing a thriving electric truck manufacturing industry that will create skilled jobs, drive innovation, and accelerate the uptake of zero-emission transport solutions across the Australian road transport sector,” Mr Merric said
Volvo Group’s decision to manufacture the heavy-duty electric trucks in Australia builds upon its extensive history of local production at the Wacol plant.
In 2022 the company celebrated 50 years of manufacturing at Wacol and in 2023 recently handed over its 75,000th locally manufactured truck.
The Wacol plant is unique in being the only site in the world where Volvo and Volvo-owned Mack trucks are built side by side, with an estimated 800 people producing around 3,500 trucks for the two brands per year.
The Australian made and certified trucks include a significant amount of local content sourced from around 90 local suppliers, which in 2023 was worth an estimated $600m spent in the local economy.
More articles
Related topics
-
The information in this article has been prepared for general information purposes only and is not intended as legal advice or specific advice to any particular person. Any advice contained in the document is general advice, not intended as legal advice or professional advice and does not take into account any person’s particular circumstances. Before acting on anything based on this advice you should consider its appropriateness to you, having regard to your objectives and needs.
Insurance products (excluding Travel Insurance) are issued by RACQ Insurance Limited ABN 50 009 704 152 (RACQ). Conditions, limits and exclusions apply. This is general advice only and may not be right for you. This information does not take your personal objectives, circumstances or needs into account. Read the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) and any applicable Supplementary PDS before making a purchase decision on this product. You can also access our Target Market Determinations on this website.
Banking and loan products issued by Members Banking Group Limited ABN 83 087 651 054 AFSL/Australian credit licence 241195 trading as RACQ Bank. Terms, conditions, fees, charges and lending policies apply. This is general advice only and may not be right for you. This information does not take your personal objectives, circumstances or needs into account. Read the disclosure documents for your selected product or service, including the Financial Services Guide and the Terms and Conditions, and consider if appropriate for you before deciding.
Except for RACQ Bank, any RACQ entity referred to on this page is not an authorised deposit-taking institution for the purposes of the Banking Act 1959 (Cth). That entity’s obligations do not represent deposits or other liabilities of RACQ Bank. RACQ Bank does not guarantee or otherwise provide assurance in respect of the obligations of that entity, unless noted otherwise.
RACQ Bank subscribes to the Customer Owned Banking Code of Practice which establishes higher standards than the law requires. The Code reflects modern consumer expectations and developments in approaches to issues such as consumer vulnerability, guarantors, and supporting customers through financial hardship. Please read our Customer Owned Banking Code of Practice page for more information.
RACQ Operations Pty Ltd (ABN 80 009 663 414 AR 000234978) and Members Travel Group Pty Ltd (ABN 45 144 538 803 AR 000432492) are acting as an Authorised Representative of the issuer of the insurance, Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance Co., Ltd. (ABN 80 000 438 291 AFSL 246 548). Any advice set out above is general in nature only, and does not take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Before purchasing any travel products, please consider the RACQ Travel Insurance Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) and the Target Market Determinations (TMDs) that apply to these products. Whilst the PDS outlines the Terms and Conditions of these products, the TMDs outline the intended class of customers that comprise the target market for these travel products. This will allow you to consider which products best suit your objectives, financial situation and needs and consider the products appropriateness to your personal circumstances. TMDs also outline matters involving the distribution and the review of these products. The PDS, Supplementary PDS and TMDs for each travel product can be found here.