Volvo Trucks Stays with Diesel, Evolution of Combustion Engines: Cleaner and More Adaptive
Volvo Trucks has just announced an ambitious move by injecting billions of SEK (Swedish Krona) in investment to develop future transportation technology. According to its official statement on Wednesday (13/5/2026), this massive investment is designed to strengthen the company’s global position while ensuring its net-zero emissions target is fully achieved by 2040.
The Swedish automotive giant is not betting on just one technology. They have introduced a new highly efficient internal combustion engine (ICE) platform capable of using various types of renewable fuels.
At the same time, Volvo also launched its second-generation electric truck lineup, which can travel up to 700 km on a single charge. This strategy aims to address global logistics challenges, where fuel infrastructure varies greatly across regions.
“This is a very crucial launch because the decarbonization of the transport industry needs to be accelerated. The new technologies we are launching now will offer the best of both worlds for transport companies,” said Roger Alm, President of Volvo Trucks.
Evolution of Combustion Engines: Cleaner and More Adaptive
Even as the world moves toward electrification, Volvo recognizes that combustion engines still play a vital role in certain segments. Therefore, they have launched a new 13-liter engine platform.
The engine is designed for both conventional diesel and gas use. Its main advantage lies in its flexibility — from the start, it is ready to run on renewable fuels such as biodiesel and biogas.
The next, more progressive step is the testing of hydrogen-powered combustion engines. Volvo has begun testing these hydrogen-fuel trucks on public roads and targets commercial launch before 2030.
Using a single engine platform for various fuel types provides significant production synergy, allowing logistics operators to achieve more efficient operating costs.
“Our second-generation electric trucks can replace traditional diesel trucks in many cases. However, in certain regions and transport segments, we still need combustion engines to reduce CO₂ emissions both now and in the future,” explained Roger.
To date, Volvo has marketed 8 electric truck models and sold more than 6,000 units across more than 50 countries. With an expanding portfolio, Volvo hopes more transport operators will switch from fossil fuels to pure electric power.
Their latest breakthrough is a heavy-duty electric truck model with a range of up to 700 km, enabling electric trucks to be used on longer inter-city routes without frequent charging stops.
Three-Path Strategy Toward Decarbonization
Volvo Trucks’ vision to achieve net-zero emissions by 2040 is based on the ‘Three Paths’ strategy. The first path is battery-electric vehicles, and the second is fuel cell electric vehicles.
Meanwhile, the third path involves continuing to optimize combustion engines but fully transitioning to green fuels such as green hydrogen, biogas (bio-LNG), biodiesel, and HVO (hydrotreated vegetable oil).
The new electric truck units are scheduled to begin gradual production starting in 2026. Meanwhile, the latest-generation combustion engines will be produced in Skövde, Sweden, with sales planned to open in the third quarter of 2026.
