Capital Equipment News October 2025

FLEET MANAGEMENT

our hydrogen internal combustion engine (H 2 ICE) and fuel-cell (H 2 FCEV) solutions.” This pragmatic approach ensures that Volvo Trucks’ customers can transition to low-carbon transport at a pace and scale suited to their operations.

Challenges on the road to electrification

Despite these advances, Parry is candid about the hurdles facing EV adoption in South Africa. “There are a number of factors at play,” he says. “While there is no ad valorem tax on EV trucks, they still attract the same import duties as diesel equivalents. Because of their higher base price, the Rand duty value is much higher. Even if we built them locally, we’d still pay duty, as the regulations don’t yet recognise electric drivetrains.” Vehicle dimensions and weight present further complications. “The batteries take up more space, which increases the wheelbase - up to 1.1 metres longer than a diesel equivalent. This makes the overall vehicle combination slightly over the legal length when coupled with

While there is no ad valorem tax on EV trucks, they still attract the same import duties as diesel equivalents. Because of their higher base price, the Rand duty value is much higher. Even if we built them locally, we’d still pay duty, as the regulations don’t yet recognise electric drivetrains.

global climate goals. “We do not see a complete shift over to electric only. A range of solutions will be needed,” Parry explains. “Our current diesel range can already use biofuels such

as B7 and HVO with no modifications, and up to B100 with minor fuel system changes. We also have LNG-powered trucks, offering up to 100% CO 2 reduction with bio-LNG. Development is ongoing on

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