In a major move towards sustainable transportation, Volvo Trucks North America in Dublin is now shipping freight trucks that run on hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO). These trucks contain 20 to 25 gallons of the plant-based fuel in their tanks. The company expects to purchase over 1 million gallons of HVO from its supplier.
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, HVO is a renewable diesel that emits lower levels of harmful compounds into the environment when burned in an internal combustion engine compared to petroleum-based diesel. This makes it an eco-friendly alternative to traditional diesel fuel.
Volvo President Peter Voorhoeve stated on April 24 that the availability of internal combustion engines that use renewable diesel, along with electric trucks and future hydrogen fuel cell trucks, offers multiple avenues for “decarbonizing transportation.” The Dublin facility, which employs 3,600 workers responsible for building all Volvo trucks for North America, is in the final stages of constructing a $400 million factory for producing truck cabs. These cabs will be used in a revised version of the VNL long-haul truck and are expected to be released later this year.
In summary, Volvo Trucks North America’s efforts to utilize HVO in their freight trucks and develop a new generation of truck cabs represent significant steps in promoting sustainable and eco-friendly transportation solutions within the industry.
