Volta Trucks is presenting for the first time at a French trade show, Solutrans from November 16 to 20 in Lyon Eurexpo.
Volta Trucks to Present in Solutrans 2021
The company unveiled the demonstration vehicle of the Volta Zero 14 months ago, the first purpose-built 16-tonne 100 per cent electric truck designed for last mile urban logistics, is coming to meet its potential French customers. The Volta Zero demonstration vehicle will be on display at the Petit Forestier booth (Hall 4, Booth L117). Petit Forestier are a strategic partner of Volta Trucks, and has placed a pre-order for 1,000 Volta Zero. Its subsidiary, Lecapitaine, is also responsible for fitting out the refrigerated boxes that will be ordered from the manufacturer.
Since the launch of the Volta Zero in September 2020, Volta Trucks has come a long way, in particular through a European roadshow to meet fleet operators and customers. In all, no less than 1,000 customer meetings have been organised in France, Spain, Italy, Germany, UK and the Netherlands. These meetings provided a wealth of information and helped input customer needs into vehicle development so that it meets actual needs. The resulting modifications will be integrated into the pilot fleet vehicles which will be operating with customers in mid-2022. They will be tested in real world conditions by customers.
2,500 pre-orders have been registered for a total amount exceeding 600 million euros, the vast majority of which is intended for the French market. The company recently announced that the first Volta Zero vehicles will be produced in Steyr, Austria, by Steyr Automotive, formerly MAN Trucks and Bus Austria. Series production will start in late 2022. Volta Trucks also unveiled its Road-to-Zero Emissions strategy in May. The company intends to produce four Volta Zero models, ranging from 7.5 to 19 tonnes, with manufacturing forecasts of over 27,000 units by 2025. Two fund-raising rounds have been completed, the first of US$ 20 million last January and a second, recent Series B round of €37 million to accelerate the company’s growth and produce the pilot fleet.
Volta Trucks is deploying a city-by-city development strategy, focusing initially on London and Paris. Its objective is to create an innovative Truck as a Service model in each of its target cities. Truck as a Service will combine all of the elements of running an electric commercial vehicle, including financing, insurance, charging, and service and maintenance, into one monthly fee, making the transition as seamless as possible for the fleet operator.
