Volta Trucks Confirmed That Urby Has Joined Its Pioneer Program

Volta Trucks, the full-electric commercial vehicle manufacturer, has confirmed that Urby has joined its Pioneer Program, giving Urby access to an early trial of the Volta Zero and prioritized vehicle production once manufacturing starts in late 2022. 

The Volta Zero is the first purpose-built full-electric large commercial vehicle, and the announcement coincides with the vehicle’s French debut at a series of customer events in Paris.

High-density areas

Urby is a subsidiary of the La Poste group and the Banque des Territoires and was created in 2018

Urby is a subsidiary of the La Poste group and the Banque des Territoires and was created in 2018. Urby is present in 19 French cities and offers urban delivery and goods collection services as well as storage and collection of waste and packaging. 

To facilitate its operations, Urby has developed a strategic territorial network to cover high-density areas using two distribution approaches – pooling centers located on the outskirts of cities, and Urban Logistics Spaces in city centers.

Urby currently runs its city-center logistics operations with a fleet of low-emission vehicles including electric cars, natural gas commercial vehicles and cargo bikes. Volta Trucks and Urby will also work collaboratively on the trial with Sogaris, one of Greater Paris’ largest urban logistics real estate owners. Sogaris provides Urby’s distribution centre facilities in the Ile de France area and will support the trial with the installation of the electric charging infrastructure needed to run the Volta Zero vehicles.

Acceleration of fleet electrification

Under current legislation, internal combustion engine commercial vehicles will be banned from operating in Paris and all French cities of more than 150,000 residents from 2024 as the country adopts new Low Emissions Zones. This makes the acceleration of fleet electrification of paramount importance to all French fleet operators.

Announcing the trial of the Volta Zero, Frédéric Delaval, General Manager of Urby, said; “Thanks to its large load capacity and all-electric mode, the Volta Zero is an essential partner in the innovative heavy goods vehicle market. We know that the future of delivery will be green. Urby is investing heavily in a fleet with low emissions, from cargo bikes with trailers to heavy goods vehicles with NGV / Bio NGV and electric energy. We also believe in true product circularity: when a vehicle delivers to an urban area, it must not come out empty, but full of products or recycling in return. Testing the Volta Zero in a real situation allows us to contribute to this visionary project and fully meet our sustainability ambitions.”

Priority innovation issue

I’m delighted to partner with Urby, supporting their sustainable decarbonization agenda"

Sonia Samadi, Director of Development and Innovation for Sogaris continued; “Sogaris operates at the crossroads of two worlds. That of real estate, challenged to invent a more resilient and sustainable model over the long term in response to environmental issues, and that of urban logistics, where the digital revolution, driven by the increase of e-commerce, is radically transforming our relationship with the mobility of goods and our lifestyles, and for which the energy transition of our customers in favor of low-carbon logistics is becoming a priority innovation issue.”

Chief Executive Officer of Volta Trucks, Rob Fowler, added; “I’m delighted to partner with Urby, supporting their sustainable decarbonization agenda. With their city center logistics and distribution focus, Urby are a perfect customer for the Volta Zero, and exactly the sort of operations that the vehicle was designed for. We also share very strong sustainability ambitions, so I look forward to understanding the feedback from their trials later in the year.”