Volta Trucks is coming to North America, today confirming the U.S. launch and first public display of its all-electric Zero truck in May at the Advanced Clean Transportation (ACT) Expo in Anaheim, CA—which it calls the world’s largest event dedicated to alternative-fuel commercial vehicles and commercial-transport providers. The electric commercial vehicle manufacturer and services provider will present a Class 7 Zero design-verification prototype, with executives and product experts on hand to discuss the all-electric truck, the company’s Truck as a Service subscription model, and vehicle charging.
“We’re building on the key learnings from our European launch, where we’ve developed at speed and scale, with a deep understanding of our customers’ needs, to accelerate the transition to electric commercial vehicles and help decarbonize city centers,” said Volta Trucks CEO Essa Al-Saleh, ahead of participation at ACT Expo. “The U.S. faces the same safety and sustainability issues we are addressing in Europe and is a significant market opportunity for us. This marks the start of our journey in the U.S., and we are excited to bring road-certified vehicles for U.S. customers to evaluate later this year.”
In 2023, the introduction into North America will be led by the Class 6 and 7 Volta Zero—equivalent to the existing European 16-ton truck—that will be available with an ambient or refrigerated cargo box. Late in the year, Volta Trucks will launch a U.S.-based Driving Experience Program for fleet operators to evaluate a pilot fleet in real distribution environments to understand how the electric delivery trucks will integrate into their operations. A similar program is currently launching across six European countries. The U.S.-based program will start on the West Coast ahead of a rollout of production vehicles expected in 2024.
Volta says that the Zero is the first purpose-built all-electric medium-duty truck specifically designed for urban logistics. So the Class 6 and Class 7 trucks will offer a modular battery configuration to deliver a range of 95-125 mi—said to be more than enough for downtown distribution routes.
According to Volta, commercial vehicles compose a small portion of city traffic but have historically been involved in a disproportionate number of accidents with vulnerable road users including pedestrians and cyclists. The electric powertrain allowed Zero designers to create a new concept from the ground up including a glassy cab with a 220-degree direct view around the vehicle for blind-spot reduction and a lower, center-mounted driving position that enables eye-level connection with road users. Drivers can enter and exit the vehicle on either side, onto the sidewalk for their own safety, and through sliding rather than swinging doors to ensure the safety of passing cyclists.
The Class 7 Volta Zero introduction is scheduled to be followed in 2026 by Class 5 (19,500 lb) and Class 6 (26,000 lb) trucks, equivalent to European 7.5- and 12-ton vehicles. Revealed in April 2022, the Class 5 and Class 6 trucks bear a close visual relationship to the Class 7 Zero. Compared to the Class 5, the Class 6 truck has a longer chassis and body and a second set of rear wheels and tires to accommodate the increased vehicle payload.
To ease the transition to electrification, Volta is developing Truck as a Service (TaaS) and Trucks Hub models.
The company says that its TaaS proposition can accelerate the adoption of electric commercial vehicles by delivering a frictionless and hassle-free way to electrify fleets while de-risking the migration for fleet operators. It supports electrification migration by offering an affordable monthly fee for using an all-electric Volta Zero vehicle and its servicing, maintenance, finance, insurance, and training requirements, maximizing its operational efficiency.
Using the same approach as it has adopted in Europe, Volta will develop U.S. Trucks Hubs for vehicle service and maintenance located close to its customers’ own logistics centers to maximize uptime and convenience. The company says it will develop an extensive network of certified service partner facilities to increase the geographic coverage of service and maintenance outlets.
In Europe, Volta provides access to an all-electric Volta Zero, with its charging infrastructure needs provided by Siemens and insurance through Qover and Helvetia.
Volta Trucks was founded in 2019 in Sweden by Carl-Magnus Norden and Kjell Waloen. In November 2022, Volta Trucks announced a successful extension of its Series C funding round, taking the total investment into the company to over €360 million to date.
In 2022, the company saw its headcount grow by over 200% to nearly 700 employees, including key appointments across the business such as Steve Dichter as Chief Strategy Officer, Adam Chassin as Chief Commercial Officer, and Karl Viktor Schaller for the Board of Directors. In March 2023, it announced the appointment of Dr. Martin Hofmann as its Chief Technology and Information Officer effective from May.
The company has partnered with a number of global leaders in the supply chain for the development and production of the Zero. The trucks’ high-voltage batteries located within the chassis rails—their safest possible location, according to Volta—are from California-based Proterra. It uses an innovative compact e-axle, composed of the electric motor, transmission, and axle all in one unit, supplied by Michigan-based Accelera by Cummins, the new brand for its New Power business segment announced in March. Other suppliers include Carrier Transicold for refrigerated equipment and Paneltex for ambient cargo boxes. It is also working with Cake electric motorcycles to test an electric mobile micro hub for last-mile delivery.
Volta’s contract manufacturing facility is in Steyr, Austria, where production of customer-specification vehicles is starting in early Q2 2023.
The company’s go-to-market strategy got a boost in March when it received European Whole Vehicle Type Approval for the Zero. The certification, which ensures that all vehicles meet environmental, safety, and security standards, allows Volta to produce and sell the Zero in volume. It happened as the second-generation production verification prototypes were to be delivered to customers across Europe as part of a pilot fleet of vehicles.
Also in March, the company announced the approval of funding projects submitted to the Federal Ministry of Digital Affairs and Transport in Germany. A total of 151 all-electric Volta Zero trucks will be subsidized, providing support to Volta Trucks’ customers totaling €24.6 million. The subsidies granted by the German Ministry will be used to reduce vehicle costs, making the switch to an EV fleet even more attractive for companies. All orders received in Germany by June 2023 can benefit from a subsidy.