Volvo Trucks North America was recently awarded $20 million in grants to deploy 70 VNR Electric trucks with fleets in southern California as part of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Targeted Air Shed Grant Program, plus $1.7 million in charging infrastructure funding from the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD).

The trucks will be delivered to a handful of Southern California fleet operators in 2021, with the program ending in the third quarter of 2022. As part of the Volvo LIGHTS (Low Impact Green Heavy Transport Solutions) project, a collaboration with SCAQMD and 13 other organizations to introduce battery-electric trucks and equipment into the market at scale, Volvo Trucks is committed to delivering close to 100 VNR Electric trucks to the area.

“This grant provides Volvo Trucks with an excellent opportunity to further expedite the success of the ecosystem designed through the Volvo LIGHTS project to support the wide-scale deployment of battery-electric heavy-duty trucks,” said Peter Voorhoeve, president of Volvo Trucks North America.

The EPA Targeted Air Shed Grant Program focuses on regions with the highest ozone and particulate matter pollution.

“The EPA Targeted Air Shed Grant has enabled South Coast AQMD to continue partnering with Volvo Trucks for the swift deployment of nearly 100 heavy-duty zero-emission trucks,” said Wayne Nastri, executive officer for South Coast AQMD. “Innovative collaborations like this are key to bringing clean air to Southern California.”

The 70 trucks deployed through the grant are estimated to reduce more than 152.63 tons of NOx, 1.317 tons of PM2.5, and 53,160 tons of CO₂ over their lifetime.

As part of the project, South Coast AQMD evaluate all the emission reduction opportunities presented by battery-electric trucks. Volvo Trucks will also gather deployment data to further refine total cost of ownership calculations including actual vehicle maintenance and fuel cost savings.

“Volvo Trucks supports our pioneering fleet customers in paving the way to a real-world, sustainable transport future,” said Voorhoeve.