Volvo’s Electric Trucks Have Driven 250 Million Kilometres and Saved the World. Almost
Volvo is celebrating a grand milestone: according to its own calculations, the company’s electric trucks have now covered 250 million kilometres. That sounds impressive, especially when you realise it equals roughly 6,200 laps around the planet. Not a bad achievement for machines that make no noise, emit no fumes and, on paper at least, are helping save the world.
To give the figure extra heroic shine, Volvo also estimated what would have happened had those kilometres been driven by diesel. The result: 78 million litres of fuel burned and 213,000 tonnes of CO₂ released into the air. What the press release doesn’t say is how much electricity those trucks consumed, or where it came from. After all, even the greenest halo gathers dust when the numbers get complicated.
Since 2019, Volvo has sold more than 5,700 electric trucks, now operating in 50 countries. It all sounds like a sustainability revolution deserving of a peace prize, yet the company admits progress remains painfully slow.
Volvo likes to highlight how quiet and comfortable its trucks are to drive. Undoubtedly true, though one might imagine the drivers have plenty of time to enjoy that comfort while waiting for the battery to charge, as diesel rigs rumble past on their second delivery run.
The brand’s current electric line-up includes eight models covering everything from refuse collection to construction haulage. And by 2026, Volvo promises a new heavy-duty truck capable of 600 kilometres on a single charge—provided the road is smooth, the weather mild and the trailer conveniently empty.
The company’s roadmap to climate neutrality combines battery-electric and fuel-cell trucks with renewable fuels such as biogas and hydrogen. In other words, Volvo is preparing for every possible future, since no one quite knows which one will actually work.
Clocking 250 million kilometres in electric mode is a genuine feat, especially given how resistant the heavy transport sector remains to change. Yet the real challenge is no longer the battery, but the business. The green transition will crawl on as long as charging infrastructure, pricing and logistics reality lag behind the slogans. For now, Volvo can rightly celebrate its progress—but the question remains: will we save the planet before the battery runs out?
