Volvo Trucks North America added ten new locations in three new states—Rhode Island, Utah, and Washington, plus the Canadian province of Manitoba—to its roster of Volvo Trucks Certified Electric Vehicle (EV) Dealerships. 59 locations across North America have now completed the program designed to provide an ecosystem of customer support for heavy-duty battery electric vehicle adoption, the company said.

“Before we announced the commercialization of the VNR Electric we understood that electric trucks would need to have the same level of uptime and the same quality service for our customers as our diesel trucks,” Peter Voorhoeve, president, Volvo Trucks North America, said. “That’s why we created the certified EV dealer program in parallel to the commercialization plans for the VNR Electric. Today, we continue to lead the industry with 59 certified EV dealerships across the United States and Canada to serve our customers in the areas where their VNR Electric trucks are deployed and decarbonizing transportation. The expansion of our certified EV dealer locations shows that battery-electric heavy-duty trucks are here to stay and will continue to scale as a viable option for freight transportation and our vision is to continue that expansion.”

According to Volvo Trucks North America, being prepared for routine maintenance and repairs means keeping parts in the dealer’s local inventory and having certified technicians on-site to service the Volvo VNR Electric as quickly and efficiently as possible. By partnering with dealerships that are committed to supporting the transition to sustainable transportation solutions, Volvo Trucks North America said fleets and owner-operators can make the transition to heavy-duty electric trucks smoothly knowing they are surrounded by an ecosystem of support. 

In collaboration with its dealer partners, Volvo Trucks said it has delivered 470 Volvo VNR Electric trucks from the New River Valley Plant in Dublin, Virginia. These trucks have logged 4.5 million customer miles in diverse business sectors, including grocery, last-mile delivery, drayage, warehouse distribution, U.S. mail, medical supply, utility, fleet leasing, retail and more.

Volvo Trucks said its Certified EV Dealer program was developed as part of the Volvo Lights project in Southern California, where TEC Equipment supported local fleet operators in deploying the first Volvo VNR Electric demonstration trucks. In July 2021, TEC Equipment, Volvo Trucks’ largest West Coast dealer group, was designated as the nation’s first certified EV dealer. Today, Volvo Trucks has certified 59 dealer locations across 27 states, and four Canadian provinces.

Volvo Trucks said its certified EV dealer network is largely due to its dealer partners’ commitment to providing customer support and helping to guide fleet procurement decisions, as the funding and regulatory landscape continues to shift. The company acknowledged these dealer locations for recently completing the certification process:

• Aber’s Truck Center – Ashland, Ohio;
• Anderson Motors – Riverside, Rhode Island;
• Beaver Truck Center – Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada;
• Gerry’s Truck Centre – Woodstock, Ontario, Canada (2nd location);
• M & K Truck Centers – Des Plaines, Illinois and Frankfort, Indiana (2nd and 3rd locations);
• Mountain West Truck Center – West Valley City, Utah;
• TEC Equipment – Des Moines and Lacey, Washington (5th and 6th locations);
• Transport Equipment – Spokane Valley, Washington (2nd location).

Several dealership groups have completed the Volvo Trucks Certified EV Dealer designation at multiple locations, including TEC Equipment, which recently completed the process for its sixth location across three states. Vanguard Truck Centers has seven locations across six states following its acquisition of Nacarato Truck Centers in December 2023. As the company progresses toward its goal of building a robust coast-to-coast dealer support network for battery-electric trucks, Volvo Trucks said it is on track to certify 40 additional dealer locations across North America this year.

According to Volvo Trucks, cost is still a significant barrier to electrification, particularly at scale. In response, Volvo Financial Services (VFS) provides financing opportunities for dealers to support them with their shift to zero-emission solutions. Funding solutions are available to dealerships for necessary updates, such as facility improvements, parts inventory for the Volvo VNR Electric model, onsite charging station installations, dedicated EV service bays and the acquisition of diagnostic tools and protective equipment for technicians working with high-voltage systems.

Additionally, VFS has introduced new financing options for customers that extend beyond the truck itself, covering the installation of charging infrastructure and combining service and maintenance plans into single monthly payments. Volvo Trucks said this approach spreads out the initial investment costs and provides essential resources for a successful electromobility transition.