Swedish electric truck start up, Volta Trucks has announced that it will launch its first full electric truck, the Volta Zero in an online launch event on the 3rd September.
The new truck will be revealed in the online event at 10:00am BST (British Summer Time) which is 7pm Australian Eastern Time.
Volta says the launch of its Volta Zero represents a significant moment for society’s movement towards zero-emission cities, and improvements in safety for all road users.
The launch event can be viewed on the Volta Trucks website.
“Three years after the Volta Zero was first conceived, we’re delighted that we will soon be able to reveal the vehicle, said Volta Trucks CEO, Rob Fowler.
“We realised the opportunity that delivering a large zero-emission inner-city delivery vehicle could bring to the logistics industry, but also to the inhabitants of the city that it serves,” he added.
“Reducing pollution, improving safety, offering fleet operators a credible alternative to the internal combustion engine, and helping them with the migration to electrification, were our main drivers at the outset.”
“The Volta Zero has over-delivered on all of these ambitions. Despite the headwinds we have all experienced in 2020, we will launch the Volta Zero on time, which is testament to a strong team, and fantastic partners. I’m really looking forward to revealing the Volta Zero, and seeing the truck used in our first pilot trials soon,” Fowler said
The Volta Zero is a full-electric 16-tonne vehicle designed for inner-city freight deliveries, reducing the environmental impact of freight deliveries in city centres. The Zero was designed from the ground up with an operating pure-electric range of 150 – 200 kms and a top speed of 90km/h.
The Volta Zero was designed for electric from the outset, with the driver located in a central driving position, with a much lower seat height than a conventional truck thanks to the fact that there is no internal combustion engine taking up room beneath the cabin. This combination, plus a glass house-style cab design, gives the driver a wide 220-degrees of vision, minimising dangerous blind spots says Volta.
The company says that the first prototype Volta Zero is currently being built, and will be launched later in 2020, with the first pilot test vehicles due to start evaluation with customers in the first quarter of 2021.
Volta Trucks is a start-up full-electric goods vehicle manufacturer and services company with offices in the UK and Sweden. The company has used the resources of a number of leading automotive engineering companies including leading motor sport organisation Prodrive, which for many years ran Subaru’s succesfgul World Rally programs and in more recent times was the company behind Ford Performance Vehicles and Foird Performance Racing here in Australia. It has also partnered with other leading design and engineering companies, including Astheimer and Magtec.
The company was formed in May 2019 by Swedish entrepreneur, Carl-Magnus Norden, founded the company in May 2019 and remains active in the company and on Volta’s board and will be responsible for its long-term strategy.
Nordern appointed Rob Fowler as new CEO earlier this year and he has led the development of Volta’s first prototype vehicle, which is being manufactured in Banbury, right in the heart of Britain’s famed ‘F1 valley’ where the majority of the world’s leading motor racing teams and component manufactuers are based.
Fowler is also be responsible for the onboarding of customers, while further developing the Volta team and its investment proposition.
Fowler came to Volta from the UK logistics industry, including five years with DPDgroup, one of the largest courier and parcel opeerators in Europe and also as general manager of technical planning for DPD’s UK electric vehicle strategy, with a focus on urban logistics, EV deployment, the development of charging infrastructure and stakeholder engagement.
“We’ve had a busy few months getting Volta started, and now with Rob and our key executives now in place, we are ready to enter the next phase of development,” Carl-Magnus Norden commented.
“Our work has already gained a lot of traction from the industry, decision makers and the public alike, further proving that there is a real need for our trucks to hit the roads as soon as possible. Rob has an extraordinary résumé having helped bring sustainability and electrification to the parcel delivery services industry,” said Nordern.Rob Fowler said he believes Volta has the potential to become the international market leader.
“Carl-Magnus and the team have already laid the groundwork for Volta to become an outstanding business and I look forward to helping the company – and its vehicles – achieve full potential,” Fowler added.
“We live in an increasingly urbanised world with the daily lives of people living in major cities affected by city transportation,” he said.
“Not only will Volta Trucks deliver commercial value for transport operators, but also environmental and safety benefits improving the quality of life and health of city dwellers,” Fowler said.
