Volta Trucks releases US market entry strategy

Volta Trucks has revealed the strategic roadmap for its entry into the North American market. The plan will see the first Volta Zero vehicles operating on Los Angeles’ streets by the end of next year.

The introduction of Volta Trucks’ 100% battery electric commercial vehicles into North America will be led in 2023 by a Volta Zero Class 7 truck which is equivalent to the existing European 16-ton truck, with a dry or refrigerated cargo box.

The Volta Zero is a purpose-built 100% battery-electric medium duty truck specifically designed for urban logistics.

The ground-up design of the Volta Zero uses an innovative compact eAxle, comprising the electric motor, transmission, and axle all in one unit, supplied by Michigan-based Meritor, and high-voltage batteries located within the chassis rails – their safest possible location – from California-based Proterra.

Volta Trucks will initially introduce a Pilot Fleet of 100 Class 7 trucks in mid-2023 that will be evaluated by US customers, starting in Los Angeles in mid-2023, with additional cities to follow, ahead of a roll out of production vehicles in 2024.

To date, Volta Trucks has built 24 road-going ‘Design Verification’ prototypes which are currently undergoing a testing program in Europe. Ahead of the introduction in North America, the company expects to have already built more than 1,500 full-electric Class 7 trucks for European customers.

Using the same approach as it has adopted in Europe, Volta Trucks will develop its own ‘Volta Trucks Hubs’ for vehicle service and maintenance.

Hubs will be located close to its customer’s own logistics centres to maximise uptime and convenience.

The company will also develop an extensive network of third-party facilities to increase the geographic coverage of service and maintenance outlets.

Work is now underway to kick-off initial US-based manufacturing with an experienced partner, with agreements expected later in 2022.

The first Class 7 vehicles delivered to the US will be built at the company’s existing contract manufacturing facility in Steyr, Austria, to ensure the quality of the first US vehicles, with all Class 5 and 6 vehicles for North America expected to be built in the US, starting in 2024/25.

Announcing the US roadmap ahead of ACT Expo in Long Beach, California, Carl-Magnus Norden, Founder of Volta Trucks, said: “Since the launch of Volta Trucks in 2019 and the reveal of the Volta Zero in September 2020, we have used London, Paris, and other European launch cities, where fleets are increasingly converting to electric, to prove that our concepts align to customers’ needs.

“With more than 6,000 vehicle pre-orders in hand, from some of Europe’s largest fleet operators, it is time to expand our geographic horizons and look towards the significant market opportunity in North America. I believe our full-electric truck will be perfectly suited to the US customer’s needs, and we look forward to engaging customers to gain feedback on our product and services, then testing and learning as we look to exceed their expectations.

“I am looking forward to meeting some of North America’s largest fleet customers and introducing them to our full-electric Class 7.”

Image: Volta Trucks

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