The Swedish truckmaker has invested €17m ($18.1m) in a 3,600 sq.m facility to make the batteries, with cells and modules supplied by Samsung SDI. Volvo Group signed a deal with Samsung SDI back in 2019 to develop battery packs for its electric trucks. The collaboration with Samsung covers joint development of battery packs specifically developed for Volvo’s trucks, with Samsung SDI’s battery pack technology used for assembly in the Swedish group’s manufacturing operations.

Samsung SDI is currently expanding its plant in Hungary (though it is not confirmed if this is from where the cells and modules are being supplied). Those cells and modules will be assembled into battery packs for Volvo Trucks’ heavy-duty electric range: Volvo FH, Volvo FM and Volvo FMX. The first electric trucks will roll off the Ghent production lines next year and, in the meantime, battery modules will be sent to the Volvo Trucks plant in Umeå, Sweden, which has been making electric trucks since 2019.

Volvo Trucks will assemble around 30,000 battery packs a year in Ghent.