Volvo breaks ground on technical and training facility in New Jersey

MANILA: Volvo Cars is expanding its footprint in the Americas by establishing a new technical and training facility and installing 50 electric vehicle (EV) chargers at its Mahwah headquarters in order to prepare for a future selling only EVs.

Executives, employees, and local officials gathered last Friday, June 17, to break ground on the Volvo Car Americas Technical and Training Center's future location. The company will be able to better support its network of retailers and service professionals across the US, Canada, Mexico, and South America with the new facility. It is expected to open in March 2023.

New Jersey 5th District Representative Josh Gottheimer, Mahwah Mayor James Wysocki, and Volvo Car Americas Senior Vice President and Volvo Car USA President and Chief Executive Officer Anders Gustafsson were present at the groundbreaking ceremony.

The Volvo Car Americas Technical and Training Center will include a multi-vehicle workshop and classrooms where service technicians will learn the most up-to-date diagnostic and servicing skills for all Volvo cars, including plug-in hybrid and battery electric vehicles.

The building is LEED Gold-certified, in keeping with the company's commitment to sustainability. It will have a 15kW solar panel system, high-efficiency HVAC, and charging infrastructure for EVs. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is a green building certification program used worldwide. It establishes a foundation for green buildings that are healthy, efficient, low-carbon, and cost-effective. Located within the same site, the Volvo Cars Americas headquarters building is also LEED Gold-certified.

Volvo Cars is also installing 50 EV charging stations at the 20-acre site. The growing number of employees and customers who drive plug-in hybrid and battery electric vehicles will benefit from this.

In keeping with its electrification goals, the company hopes to someday make the chargers available to the general public.

Volvo Car USA has a long and rich history in New Jersey. The company's first headquarters in the US was constructed in Newark in 1956, before relocating to Rockleigh in 1964. After being purchased by Ford Motor Company's Premier Automotive Group in 2001, Volvo relocated to Irvine, California. Volvo returned to Rockleigh in 2008, then moved to a larger facility near Route 17 in Mahwah in 2020, where it now employs around 340 personnel.

In his remarks, Gustafsson said, “We are so proud to be expanding our Volvo Car Americas footprint in Mahwah. As we continue down the path to become the fastest transformer in the industry, this beautiful new facility anchored around sustainability will further train and educate our retailers and service technicians from across the region on our electrified future.”

For his part, Congressman Gottheimer said, “To make sure North Jersey is ready to tackle future energy needs, I’ve been laser-focused on setting up access to clean, renewable energy systems, as well as a reliable and efficient EV charging infrastructure. That’s why I fought to pass the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill and bring thousands of EV chargers to Jersey, and why I’m excited to help Volvo Cars break ground on 50 new EV chargers and a new technical training facility. With this new investment in North Jersey, hundreds of jobs will be created in our community over the coming years, helping Jersey residents and our local economy. It will make North Jersey the center of Volvo’s EV training for the entire Western Hemisphere.”

In parallel, Mayor Wysocki said, “We recently welcomed Volvo Cars to Mahwah and couldn’t ask for a better addition to the community. The jobs and technology this new technical and training center will hold mean great things to come for our town.”

The Technical and Training Center is being developed by Stone Creek Construction Group of Bedminster, which specializes in commercial, industrial, and life science design-build projects as well as pre-construction and construction management services. Star-Lo Electric, an electrical contractor based in Whippany, New Jersey that specializes in commercial and industrial electrical construction projects around the state, is in charge of installing the EV charging infrastructure.

Photos from Volvo Car USA

Also read: Volvo XC40 hailed as ‘Best Car for Towing’ in 2022 Auto Trader New Car Awards