Volvo Construction Testing Out Excavator Delivery in France With E-shuttle

To enhance sustainability within the companies' operations, Volvo CE and Volvo Trucks have partnered with logistics firm Capelle Transports to pilot an electric shuttle delivery solution for some of its electric machines. 

The e-shuttle service is designed to not only reduce CO₂ emissions during the first transport leg of construction machines from the Volvo CE factory in Belley, France, but also to increase efficiency by optimizing the loading of each truck trailer that leaves the yard.

How it Works

Usually, Volvo Compact Excavators are distributed from Belley to customers using a conventional truck. With the trial setup, the machines have been transported from Belley to a logistics center near Lyon using a 100% electric Volvo FH Electric truck, fully optimizing the loading capacity. From Lyon, the excavators could be more easily dispatched to continue the journey to the customer.

Volvo Group aims to reduce its indirect Scope 3 emissions by 30% by 2030, a target validated by the Science Based Targets initiative. The trial also proves that a net zero value chain requires unique collaborations and solutions that are a step beyond the initial introduction of electric technology.

Hui-I Tsai, head of global outbound logistics at Volvo CE, said, “This project contributes to reduced CO₂ emissions during the initial transportation of our products and is another milestone in our efforts to achieve a more sustainable operation. In addition, since transporters have been able to pick up our machines more frequently, we have seen a reduction in the amount of stock in our yard.”

Ghislain Fantou, production logistics purchasing at Volvo Group Truck Operations, said, “As a leader in logistics transport, we have a clear objective to reduce CO₂ together with our contracted carriers. To do this, we identify opportunities in our processes where we could introduce electric transport, particularly for such short-distance round-trip flows.”

The solution has been demonstrated by loading compact excavators — which could have included Volvo CE’s zero-emission solutions such as the EC18 Electric, ECR18 Electric and ECR25 Electric — onto electric trucks for the first leg of their journey. The e-shuttle service has been operating between Belley and a logistics center near Lyon.