First fully-electric Volta Zero truck drives off the production line

Volta Trucks has confirmed that the first Volta Zero vehicle has been completed at the company’s contract manufacturing facility in Steyr, Austria. 

The landmark vehicle, the first of a series of second-generation ‘Production Verification’ prototypes, will form part of a pilot fleet of trucks. These will be loaned to customers for extended periods in late 2022 and early 2023 to allow fleet operators to understand how the first purpose-built full-electric medium duty commercial vehicle will integrate into their operations. The start of series production of customer specification vehicles is on track to start in early 2023.   

Volta Trucks’ contract manufacturing facility is run by Steyr Automotive, formerly MAN Truck and Bus Austria. Steyr Automotive was appointed in August 2021 following an extensive tender and based on their long experience of commercial vehicle manufacturing, existing infrastructure, and consequent speed to market. Steyr Automotive offers Volta Trucks more than 100 years of manufacturing experience building large commercial vehicles. 

Steyr Automotive has reserved a capacity of 14,000 vehicles per year for Volta Trucks from their total available production. Over time, manufacturing the Volta Zero will create 510 jobs, plus 180 jobs in the building of the cargo boxes, in addition to an estimated 2,000 positions within the supply chain. The manufacturing contract has a value of up to €1 billion over its lifetime. 

Watching the first full-electric Volta Zero drive off the production line in Steyr, co-Founder and Chief Manufacturing and Logistics Officer of Volta Trucks, Kjell Walöen, said: This first vehicle rolling off the line at our manufacturing plant in Steyr is the latest significant milestone on the Volta Trucks journey towards the start of production of customers’ vehicles. To have achieved this significant landmark in just 12 months is a testament to the pace that we are working at to deliver the safest and most sustainable trucks to urban streets, and the excellent collaboration we have with our partners at Steyr Automotive. Their team has used generations of premium truck-building experience to deliver the first Volta Zero off the production line on time, and to the highest quality standards.”

Paul Kirby from EV Essentials and a member of the Transport + Energy editorial board said: “Great to see yet another milestone being ticked off on this journey to zero emission inner city trucking from Volta Trucks. The Volta Zero has impressed me since the day it was launched as a concept vehicle. The main reason being they pursue, relentlessly, the next milestone and you get to see consistent progress which gives confidence that they will do what they say the will do.”

Image courtesy of Volta Trucks.

Sign up for our essential
newsletter service.

Enter your details here.