Volvo win at Le Mans – electric semi debunks EV myths

In a big win for Volvo at Le Mans, Danish engineering company Danfoss put its Volvo FM electric Class 8 truck on an 800 mile haul to this year’s 24 hour sports car race to help debunk myths about heavy duty electric vehicles.

In a bid to educate the public about the range and capabilities of heavy duty electric trucks in the real world, engineering group Danfoss Power Solutions drove one of its electric trucks from the company’s headquarters in Nordborg, Denmark, to Le Mans, France in time for the start of this weekend’s 24 Hours of Le Mans sports car race.

The Danfoss-owned Volvo FM Electric joined 47 other electric vehicles on the 1300 km journey (over 800 miles), which event organizer and Danish electric vehicle (EV) charging company GodEnergi called, “the world’s biggest electric road trip.”

“By participating in this event, we aim to prove that electric vehicles are built for endurance and can go the distance,” said Roy Chen, president of the Editron division at Danfoss Power Solutions.

Danfoss’ Volvo is part of the company’s fully electric truck fleet, which operates nearly 24 hours a day, transporting cargo between its production facilities and logistical sites.

The truck uses several essential Danfoss components, such as the Editron ED3 onboard charger with electric power take-off (ePTO), which enables rapid overnight and opportunity charging using readily available utility outlets. The Volvo has also been fitted with Danfoss-produced Semikron SKAI high-voltage traction inverters – modifications that Danfoss and the convoy’s organizers believe echoe the spirit of the 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance racers.

“We are 115 participants [in 48 vehicles] in this road trip who love motorsport and cars and at the same time want to prove that it is possible to cover long distances in electric vehicles,” said Jan Darville, CEO of GodEnergi. “The technology and the opportunities are there.”

Electrek’s Take

An 800 mile all-electric road trip to check out the new hybrid Ferraris and Porsches race at Le Mans? That sounds fun on its own. Combine that with a big sleeper Volvo and throw in free charging and a pack of like-minded buddies to tailgate with and it sounds perilously close to an ideal weekend!

As if reading my mind, the Danfoss rep said they had an agreement with charging provider GodEnergi that would allow the truck to charge for free using their chargers during the trip – but the deal went beyond providing electric fuel for the convoy’s vehicles. “All aspects of the road trip are electrified,” Chen says. “… participants will rely on power from the cars for their camp, including cooking on electric grills.”

Yes, please. Danfoss – you know how to find us for 2025!

SOURCES | IMAGES: Danfoss; Power Progress.