The team is led by Azra Selimovic, Director Electric Motor Drive System, who has worked with alternative drivetrains since 2005 when the Volvo Group started with early development of their hybrid trucks and buses.
“It’s fantastic to be part of such an enormous technological change. It can actually be compared to when Ford Motor Company started their mass production of cars in the early 1900’s. This will have a great impact for future generations,” says Azra Selimovic.
Electric buses from Volvo have been on the roads for some years, but other vehicles are still in their early stages. Series production of the Volvo Electric FL and FE is starting with a limited number of trucks for the European markets in the second half of 2019. Other applications are still in early phases of the development.
Electrification instigates challenges as well as opportunities for the Volvo Group.
“One challenge is to create highly efficient and still affordable products. We need to look at the system as a whole and see to it that improvements in for instance the electric drive unit give us the energy savings we need, so we can decrease the number of batteries and consequently lower the cost of the system,” says Azra Selimovic.
