Volvo Trucks has partnered with Swarco Smart Charging and Clarke EV to install EV charging infrastructure at 27 of its wholly-owned dealerships in the UK, as part of a million-pound investment to support the move to an electric courtesy car fleet.
Clarke EV is installing 180 Swarco Smart Charging EV charging points, including a mix of AC charging posts and DC charging stations, across the Volvo Truck and Bus Centre North & Scotland and Volvo Truck and Bus Centre South & East dealer networks. The work is expected to be completed by June 2022.
Once installed, customers booking a courtesy car while their truck is being serviced will be given a Renault Zoe electric car, with 130 due to enter service over the coming months – eliminating tailpipe emissions from the courtesy car fleet.
John Twitchen, group truck purchasing manager – indirect products and services at Volvo Group, said: “By working closely with Swarco Smart Charging and Clarke EV, we have been able to select infrastructure and a software back-office package that will future proof our network and allow us to charge more than just cars. The next stage will be looking at electrifying our van fleet too.”
All Renault Zoe cars will be fully charged when they leave the dealership and customers will be able to access Swarco’s charging network across the country, which includes more than 2,000 charging points.
In addition to delivering the EV charging infrastructure, Clarke EV – an Office of Zero Emission Vehicles and National Inspection Council for Electrical Installation Contracting accredited EV infrastructure provider, is also enabling upgraded power to site through its Independent Connection Provider status.
“The scope of the project has also reinforced our UK-wide capability, installing charging points at depots from Croydon up to Inverness,” said Ken Stott, director of Clarke EV.
The initiative aligns with Volvo Trucks’ wider electromobility plans to transition half of all sales to electric products by 2030. It began serial production of electric trucks in 2019, and the range currently includes five electric truck models in the UK and Ireland – the Volvo FH, Volvo FM, Volvo FMX, Volvo FE and Volvo FL Electric.
