Volvo Trucks North America has designated two dealerships in Québec, as the first two Volvo Trucks certified electric vehicle (EV) dealers in Canada. The sales and service teams at both Camions Volvo Montreal and Paré Centre du Camion have completed Volvo Trucks' training program to ensure they are prepared to support the commercial deployment of Class 8 battery-electric trucks in the region.
"Expanding our Volvo Trucks certified EV dealer network into Canada is an important milestone in our efforts to deploy our zero-tailpipe emissions Volvo VNR Electric trucks across all corners of North America," said Peter Voorhoeve, president, Volvo Trucks North America. "We commend our long-time dealer partners Camions Volvo Montreal and Paré Centre du Camion for taking on this important leadership role in Canada, helping Volvo Trucks develop the ecosystem needed to support electromobility efforts at scale in the Quebec province."
The Volvo Trucks certified EV dealer program was designed to ensure that sales representatives are fully trained to consult with customers that are considering deploying Volvo's VNR Electric to ensure they are selecting a model configuration that is viable based on their operating requirements. On the aftermarket side, the dealership certification ensures technicians have the proper technical training required to maintain electric drivetrains, components, and understand all safety procedures to follow when working with high-voltage systems. The certification also includes investments in the necessary vehicle diagnostics tools and requires the dealership to maintain a stock of key parts and components for the VNR Electric model to minimize service times.
Paré Centre du Camion was founded in 1987 and has two locations in Quebec – Québec City and Lévis. Its Quebec City facility is equipped to service the Volvo VNR Electric trucks, including procuring an electric truck charger. Paré Centre du Camion has already trained and certified three technicians to perform maintenance and repairs on customers' Volvo VNR Electric trucks.
"We are thrilled to be one of the first two dealerships in Canada to complete the Volvo Trucks certified EV dealer designation and look forward to helping our fleet customers in the region transition to Volvo VNR Electric trucks to improve supply chain sustainability," said Marie-Claude Paré, dealer principal, Paré Centre du Camion. "We are big champions of Volvo Trucks' mission to lead the global transition to electromobility, and plan to share valuable feedback from our customers on their experience operating Volvo VNR Electrics in the extreme cold of Canadian winters."
Camions Volvo Montreal was founded in 2014 and is part of a network of eight Volvo Trucks dealerships. Its flagship Dorval location, the first location to receive the Volvo Trucks EV certified dealership designation, now includes six truck bays that have been equipped to support battery-electric vehicle maintenance and repairs, including having access to a mobile EV charging unit. Six of Camions Volvo Montreal's 30 technicians have completed Volvo Trucks' required training program, with one specialist completing additional courses needed to become an internal training resource for other technicians.
"We are having weekly conversations with our customers who are very interested in the Volvo VNR Electric technology, including discussing which routes might be ideal to start with when integrating battery-electric trucks into their fleet," said Jean-Francois Bibeau, vice-president of sales, Camions Volvo Montreal. "We believe electromobility is the future of the global transport sector and look forward to partnering with Volvo Trucks to support electromobility projects as customer demand continues to grow."
