Johan Selven, vice president of sales and marketing at Volvo Trucks International, speaks during an interview with The Korea Times at Novotel Ambassador Seoul Yongsan, Tuesday. Courtesy of Volvo Trucks

Korea needs to subsidize the purchase of heavy-duty electric trucks as soon as possible to keep pace with the international community's efforts to transition to carbon neutrality, a senior executive from the Volvo Trucks headquarters in Sweden said.

Johan Selven, vice president of sales and marketing at Volvo Trucks International, told The Korea Times in an interview that the authorities should boost environmental initiatives by offering incentives to electric truck buyers concerned about the uncertain value of such vehicles.

"You can increase the number of electric truck drivers because that has been done in Sweden, Germany and other countries where the authorities offered incentives," he said.

"Electric trucks are still relatively more expensive, but the government can ease the burden for customers."

His remarks came as the Swedish firm began talks with the government over subsidization of the purchase of the FH Electric, which will likely be Korea's first heavy-duty electric truck next year.

With the aim of having 50 percent of new cars be fully electric by 2030 and selling carbon-neutral products only by 2040, the company introduced the truck to Korean consumers last year at the EV Trend Korea trade show in Seoul.

Volvo Trucks Korea CEO Park Gang-serk said that the global tendency of cutting subsidies to the purchase of passenger electric vehicles (EVs) cannot be a reason for the government to refuse incentives to buyers of heavy-duty electric trucks.

Korea and many other countries have reduced subsidies for buying an EV. Fears over battery fires have also triggered controversy over continuous subsidization.

In response to concerns over fires, Selven mentioned safety systems on the company's vehicles.

"All our vehicles go through extremely thorough safety testing in all aspects," he said.

"When introducing electric trucks, we are also offering education and training to fire departments."

The vice president added that the partnership between Volvo Trucks and Samsung SDI remains solid, as the Swedish firm does not only buy batteries from the Korean company, but also work together for the development of technology.

"Based on battery technology evolvement, Volvo is always looking into all kinds of different battery technologies," he said.

"I cannot talk about if there are other suppliers potentially for the future, but Samsung is definitely the full-range supplier to our heavy-duty electric range today."

Johan Selven, left, vice president of sales and marketing at Volvo Trucks International, poses alongside the FH Aero with Swedish Ambassador to Korea nominee Karl-Olof Andersson, second from left, as well as Volvo Trucks Korea CEO Park Gang-serk, second from right, and Peter Hardin, total offer and sales development director at Volvo Trucks International, during a press conference at Layer41 in Seoul, Wednesday. Courtesy of Volvo Trucks

On top of its efforts for electrification, Volvo Trucks has also tried to make its internal combustion engine trucks more environmentally friendly.

The FH Aero, launched in the Korean market this month, is an example of such efforts, as drivers can save fuel by 5 percent compared to previous models.

"It can be used with liquefied natural gas or even with liquefied biogas," Selven said.

"We extended the length of the vehicle by 24 centimeters to allow improved aerodynamics. We are determined to provide the market with more fuel-efficient solutions, so that it reduces the fuel consumption together."

The vice president explained that a camera monitoring system replaced its rear-view mirrors, supporting a night vision function enabling drivers to see backward of their vehicles when it is dark outside.

"Another feature to mention is a security system," he said.

"If a driver is sleeping in the cab and someone is walking alongside, the truck can detect and identify the movement."

According to Volvo Trucks, the new product is also equipped with semi-autonomous driving technology, which keeps the car in the lane and maintains distance from the vehicle in front of it.

Selven said Volvo Autonomous Solutions has conducted research and development to upgrade the company's self-driving technology.

However, he believes the technology will not replace truck drivers.

"A driver is the one performing more efficient and safe transports," he said.

"Drivers will still have an essential function for customers to take cargos safely. They will also be a more important part of the logistics flow."