Leading logistics provider DB Schenker has placed Europe’s largest-ever pre-order for zero-emission commercial trucks, asking Volta Trucks for 1,470 of its 16-tonne (17.6-U.S.-ton), full-electric Volta Zero trucks. The global supply chain manager and the Stockholm-based electric vehicle startup have also announced a partnership to test the Volta Zero in real-world urban delivery applications, as well as to train drivers and develop a 12-t (13.2-U.S.-t) variant.
Volta Trucks designed the UK-engineered Zero—currently undergoing Design Verification testing—to reduce the environmental impact of urban freight deliveries, as well as to improve vehicle, driver, and pedestrian safety. The manufacturer expects the truck to eliminate approximately 1.2 million t (1.3 million U.S. t) of CO2 emissions by 2025.
Pre-Production Testing
DB Schenker will test the first Volta Zero prototypes in the spring and summer of 2022. The electric trucks will operate in 10 locations in five European countries, carrying goods from terminals and distribution hubs to urban areas and city centres. A new contract manufacturing facility in Steyr, Austria, is expected to start producing final prototypes of the Volta Zero for a Production Verification testing phase in mid-2022.
“We have many challenges to overcome on the road to carbon neutrality,” says DB Schenker Executive Vice President for Land Transport in Europe, Cyrille Bonjean. “The large-scale partnership with Volta Trucks allows us to significantly increase the pace of electrification of our fleet and invest in greener transport solutions; it brings us closer again to our goal of carbon-neutral logistics.”
“I am delighted to welcome DB Schenker as a Volta Trucks customer,” says Volta Trucks CEO Essa Al-Saleh. “Working with DB Schenker on Europe’s largest full-electric truck order demonstrates the confidence that major freight distributors have in our ability to deliver a world-class zero-emission vehicle on time and to the highest possible quality.”
The Volta Zero
Designed specifically for city centre logistics, the Volta Zero has an operating range of 150 to 200 kilometres (95 to 125 miles). Its high-visibility cab affords the operator a 220-degree, 5-star Direct Vision Standard (DVS)-rated view that shrinks blind spots and promotes safety on the street. Among the vehicle’s many safety technologies are interior and side rear-view cameras, blind-spot monitoring, and a rear cross-traffic alert system for use when reversing.
The initial 16-t version of the Volta Zero supplies 8,600 kilograms (18,960 pounds) of payload capacity and 37.7 cubic metres (49.3 cubic yards) of loadspace. It has a rear axle capacity of 11 t (12 U.S. t) and a front axle rated at 5 t (5.5 U.S. t). The Zero’s top speed is 90 km/h (56 mph).
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Source: Volta Trucks