Volvo Trucks Korea builds first dedicated charging facility for large electric trucks in Korea

Volvo Trucks Korea has opened its first three charging facilities for heavy-duty electric trucks in Korea at its service centres in Dongtan, Incheon and Gimhae. Volvo Trucks Korea's direct charging stations are the first step in the company's roadmap to build a charging network for the introduction and commercialisation of heavy-duty electric trucks in Korea, with 26 fast chargers installed at the Dongtan, Incheon and Gimhae service centres.
 
The 350-kilowatt ultra-fast charger installed at the Volvo Trucks direct charging station can charge the FH Electric to battery SOC (state of charge) 80% in 1.5 hours. This is because the Volvo FH Electric has a constant charge rate of 250 kilowatt-hours to battery 80%.
 
Volvo Trucks has also set step-by-step targets for the development of domestic charging infrastructure to accelerate the transition to electric trucks. We have completed the construction of a dedicated charging facility for electric trucks at our direct service centres and are now preparing for the second phase, which will see the installation of charging infrastructure at 31 of Volvo Trucks' own service networks across the country. Construction will begin in the second half of the year.
 
In the third phase, discussions are underway to establish strategic alliances with charging service providers to build commercial vehicle charging facilities at existing car-only chargers in areas where trucks are concentrated, such as major port facilities and logistics hubs, taking into account the characteristics of commercial vehicles. Finally, we will actively engage in discussions with governments and public institutions to expand charging infrastructure for commercial vehicles.
 
Volvo Trucks was the first in the commercial vehicle industry to introduce a heavy-duty electric truck into series production in 2019, and now offers a total of six electric truck models, making it the broadest product range in the industry. At the end of 2023, Volvo Trucks accounted for 491 TP3T of the European market share of heavy-duty electric trucks over 16 tonnes, and its heavy-duty electric truck FH Electric was named International Truck of the Year 2024 (IToY 2024), demonstrating its outstanding performance.
 
In March 2023, Volvo Trucks Korea introduced the first heavy-duty electric truck in the domestic commercial vehicle industry, the FH Electric, and is on track to deliver the Volvo FH Electric to customers in the domestic commercial vehicle market in the third quarter of 2025.
 
"Sustainability is a reality we can no longer put off, and the transition to electrification is not a choice, but a necessity," says Kangseok Park, CEO of Volvo Trucks Korea. Volvo Trucks is committed to expanding the penetration of electric trucks as a zero-emission transport option in the trucking industry," said Mr Park. "Volvo Trucks Korea is committed to addressing one of the biggest concerns customers have when purchasing an electric truck, which is charging facilities, and to accelerate the adoption of heavy-duty electric trucks in Korea. We look forward to continuing to work with more partners to build charging infrastructure."
 
Meanwhile, as part of Volvo Trucks Korea's commitment to the Volvo Group's sustainability goals, the company has invested approximately KRW 6 billion to equip its three direct service centres in Dongtan, Incheon and Gimhae with solar power generation facilities, converting the electricity used in the country to 100% green energy.
 
Volvo Trucks has a Group-wide vision for sustainability, with a goal to replace 501 TP3T of its trucks sold with electric or zero-carbon products by 2030, and to replace and sell all of its products with zero-carbon products by 2040. By 2050, Volvo Trucks is working towards the Volvo Group-wide vision of sustainability and carbon neutrality, with the goal of achieving net-zero in all processes where Volvo Trucks is involved.
 
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Photo Volvo Trucks Korea