Volta Trucks, a disruptive full-electric commercial vehicle manufacturer, and services provider, will be present for the first time at a French trade show, Solutrans 2021, taking place from November 16 to 20, 2021 in Lyon Eurexpo.
The company, which 14 months ago unveiled the demonstration vehicle of the Volta Zero, the first purpose-built 16-ton 100% electric truck designed for last-mile urban logistics, is coming to meet its potential French customers.
Volta Zero demonstration vehicle
Petit Forestier is a strategic partner of Volta Trucks and is the European pioneer in refrigerated truck rental
The Volta Zero demonstration vehicle will be on display at the Petit Forestier booth (Hall 4, Booth L117). Petit Forestier is a strategic partner of Volta Trucks, and as the European pioneer in refrigerated truck rental, 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.
benefits of electric vehicles
“France is an important launch market for us and we already have a number of projects underway. Over the last few months, we have seen a real interest from fleet operators for the Volta Zero as France moves to implement some of the world’s most progressive zero-emission cities. We are looking forward to showing Volta Zero to the visitors at Solutrans."
"This is an opportunity for us to put Volta Trucks on the manufacturer’s landscape, to get customer feedback on the Volta Zero, and to educate the audience on the benefits of electric vehicles and the purpose it addresses in the commercial vehicle sector," comments Carla Detrieux, Business Development Director of Volta Trucks.
European roadshow
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 organized in France, Spain, Italy, Germany, the 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.
vehicle Preorders
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
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.
Road-to-Zero Emissions strategy
Volta Trucks also unveiled its Road-to-Zero Emissions strategy in May 2021. The company intends to produce four Volta Zero models, ranging from 7.5 to 19 tons, 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.
city-by-city development strategy
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.
