When it comes to gearing up its shops to service electric vehicles (EVs), Volvo Trucks North America dealer group, Nacarato Truck Centers, has hit the ground running. Its Roanoke, Virginia, location is already supporting three carriers who are using Volvo Trucks’ VNR Electric models to transport parts and components to the manufacturer’s New River Valley Assembly Operations (NRV).
Based in Nashville, Nacarato Truck Centers operates a network of Volvo Trucks dealerships and service centers throughout Tennessee, Virginia, southern Kentucky, Maryland, and Georgia. Its location in Roanoke is the first to receive the Volvo Trucks Certified EV Dealer designation.
“We focused on the required training and certification program in Roanoke first because this area has been a hotbed of activity among customers who are looking to use the Volvo VNR Electric hauling in and out of the Volvo Trucks manufacturing plant in Dublin, Virginia,” said Bryan Slagle, Nacarato’s electric vehicle project manager and general manager for the Mid-Atlantic Region. “Now we’re in the process of certifying our Hagerstown, Maryland, and Nashville locations, and we intend to complete the certification at all of our dealerships in the future.”
The Volvo Trucks Certified EV Dealer program ensures dealerships have the service ecosystem required to support EV customers, including technicians with proper training and an understanding of safety procedures when servicing electric drivetrains and components. It also requires investments in tools and personal protective equipment (PPE) for personnel working with the high-voltage systems.
Nacarato Truck Centers currently has six technicians fully certified to perform maintenance and repairs on the Volvo VNR Electric model, with two technicians each at its Roanoke, Hagerstown, and Nashville dealerships. All three locations have also installed charging infrastructure to support the battery-electric trucks.
“The charging infrastructure was the most challenging part of the certification process,” Slagle related. “You need three-phase, 480-volt power at your facility and upgrading the electrical system is especially difficult in older buildings. Nacarato wants to be on the forefront of this technology, so we decided to make those investments in our facilities to prepare for the future.”
The dealership group has also readily invested in a variety of insulated hand tools and PPE. Supplied by Wiha Tools and based on recommendations from Volvo Trucks, they include torque wrenches, sockets, wrenches, and T-handles, among other items.
“Electric vehicle batteries need to be handled carefully so we will do whatever it takes to keep our technicians safe,” Slagle stated. “We’re also dedicating toolboxes and bays at each shop for EVs, and using barricades to define areas that only trained and certified technicians can enter.”
Nacarato is providing EV training to technicians in conjunction with Volvo Trucks by using online and classroom courses. Its Roanoke-based technicians also recently went to the OEM’s Customer Center at NRV where they could actually put their hands on a VNR Electric truck.
“Safety, when it comes to EVs especially, is about being proactive and Volvo Trucks has been a great partner in that regard,” Slagle said. “We’re working with them to set up training for first responders locally. We want fire departments to know how to safely approach an EV that’s been in accident and safely decommission it.”
For fleets that are operating VNR Electric models, Nacarato offers the Volvo Gold Contract, a service offering that includes maintaining a stock of key parts and components for the model to minimize service times for the vehicle’s lithium-ion batteries and complete electromobility system. The contract also covers scheduled and preventive maintenance, towing and repairs.
To diagnose the Volvo VNR Electric, Slagle noted, the dealer’s shops can utilize the same hardware and software it has for diesel trucks. That technology includes the Volvo Premium Tech Tool, a Windows-based diagnostic application, and the Noregon JPRO system.
Additionally, the Volvo Trucks web-based portal ASIST, developed by Decisiv, is set to manage estimates, repairs, and communications for EVs in the same way it used for diesel powered units. Lastly, he added, Nacarato anticipates it will be relying heavily on the Volvo Trucks Uptime Center to help manage any issues its customers might experience with EVs.
“We have always made it a priority to provide shop tools and technologies, and the latest training for our service professionals, to ensure we have qualified technicians to repair vehicles right the first time,” Slagle said. “Now, as we gear up for EVs, we are also willingly serving as early adopters so we can improve the customer experience for Volvo Trucks’ new electric vehicles and do so safely from the start.”
