The Volvo FH Electric has been selected as the International Truck of the Year 2024. The annual election results for the best new truck were announced at the Solutrans trade fair in Lyon. The ITOY Award is presented to Volvo Trucks by a jury of 24 leading commercial vehicle journalists from across Europe. The Volvo FH Electric is the first electric truck to win an ITOY award.
Roger Alm, President of Volvo Trucks, received the prestigious award from Jury President Gianenrico Griffini during the press day of Solutrans, the biennial trade fair for transport and urban transport professionals in Lyon.
With a winning score of 84 votes, the Swedish truck maker’s heavy-duty electric truck beat good entries from Mercedes-Benz’s eActros 300/400, equipped with an electric powertrain, and Scania’s 45S battery-electric truck (BEV).
Based on the International Truck of the Year (IToY) rules, the annual award is given to the truck launched in the last 12 months that makes the most significant contribution to road transport performance. The rating is based on various criteria including technological innovation, comfort, safety, driving characteristics, energy efficiency, environmental ‘footprint’ and total cost of ownership (TCO).
For the first time in the history of the International Truck of the Year Award – which dates back to 1977 – a series production electric truck has won the award. Also, four of the five vehicles selected for this year’s ITOY award are zero-exhaust battery-electric models. Although there is still no good charging infrastructure for battery-electric trucks in the EU, it demonstrates that the energy transition is gaining momentum in the transport sector.
IToY journalists praised the efficiency, seamless acceleration, quietness and vibration-free behavior of the FH Electric electric powertrain based on two or three electric motors with a continuous power of 330 or 490 kW with the latest generation I-Shift gearbox. An extensive range of axle configurations for tractors and rigids, four cab versions and a modular portfolio of battery packs – from two to six – the versatility of modern road transport is equally important to the FH Electric’s winning score.
Gianenrico Griffini, chairman of the jury, summed up the mood of the jury: “With the introduction of the FH Electric, Volvo Trucks has presented a state-of-the-art BEV range, suitable for a wide range of transport operations. This is proof that the energy transition is gaining momentum even in the current challenging economic environment.
The International Truck of the Year (IToY) award was created in 1977 by Pat Kennett, a British journalist and renowned editor of TRUCK magazine. Today, 24 jury members represent leading commercial vehicle magazines from across Europe. Furthermore, IToY Group has expanded its influence in recent years by appointing ‘Associate Members’ in emerging trucking markets in China, India, South Africa, Australia, Brazil, Japan, Iran, New Zealand, Israel and Malaysia. The 24 full IToY members and ten associate members’ magazines have a combined readership of truck drivers of more than 1,100,000. On behalf of the Netherlands, TTM.nl editor-in-chief Arjan Velthoven sits on the ITOY jury.
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