The world's first fully-electric 16-tonne trucks are soon to be a regular sight on the streets of London and Paris after debuting in Madrid next month.
Volta Zero will debut in Madrid on April 5. Credit: Volta Trucks
Volta Zero will debut in Madrid on April 5. Credit: Volta Trucks
Swedish commercial EV startup Volta Trucks announced that the Volta Zero will debut in the Spanish capital on April 5 as part of Volta's European roadshow at the Circuito del Jarma, which hosted the Grand Prix between 1968 and 1981.
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According to the European Commission, in 2020 trucks were responsible for around 75% of inland freight activity in the EU, making them an integral part of the economy. However, despite accounting for less than 2% of vehicles on Europe's roads, trucks represent around 23% of CO2 emissions from road transport.
The company claims the Volta Zero was purposely designed with the objective of decarbonising last-mile logistics in mind and developed for city-centre distribution where air quality is often at its worst.
Volta Trucks plans to produce 5,000 vehicles throughout Europe in 2023 with the aim of 14,000 in 2024, and 27,000 in 2025. The 16-tonne vehicle is the first of the four models, which range between 7.5- and 18-tonnes.
The decision to launch the Volta Zero in London and Paris was down to both cities' "progressive legislation in favour of decarbonisation and the need for zero-emission full-electric commercial vehicles". The launch will then later be followed by a "strategic expansion" in other cities throughout Europe and North America.
Volta says that it is looking to eliminate around 1.2 million tonnes of CO2 emissions by 2025.
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The announcement followed the conclusion of a Series C funding round which saw a total investment of €230 million into the company coming from existing New York-based investor, Luxor Capital Group, LP, which led the round, and Stockholm-based initial seed investor and co-lead, Byggmästare Anders J Ahlström.
Volta said the latest funding round will fund engineering and business operations until after the start of production in late 2022 including the development of the 7.5- and 12-tonne derivatives and the preparations for its manufacturing plant in Steyr, Austria to begin production by the end of the year.
"We are a revolutionary and innovative player in the field of commercial vehicles, and we are pleased that the successful and oversubscribed conclusion of our Series C funding round demonstrates the confidence placed by new and existing investors in the strategy and track record of Volta Trucks.
"They are top-level investors who share our vision and trust in the scalability of our business model, the future of electric commercial vehicles and the new value proposition in the commitment to a greener, safer and more sustainable city," said Volta Trucks CEO, Essa Al-Saleh.
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In December, the company signed a preorder agreement for nearly 1,500 Volta Zeros with road transport company DB Schenker.
The Volta Zero has a range of up to 200 km (124 miles), with a top speed of 90 km/h (56 mph) and a payload capacity of up to 8 tonnes.
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