Swedish manufacturer Volta Trucks is to supply 16 fully electric vehicles to French logistics giant Heppner.
The deal will see the Volta Zeros operate from Heppner depots in Paris and Lyon and cover installation of charging infrastructure by Siemens.
Coming under the Swedish firm’s Truck as a Service offering, the agreement will also give the French transport company access to maintenance, servicing and insurance.
Volta Trucks said it had worked with Heppner to ensure that the timelines for the delivery of the vehicle, charging infrastructure and other components come together to maximise fleet performance in operation.
A sequence of site assessments have been carried out to identify existing infrastructure and upgrades required to recharge the fleet of Volta Zeros.
The vehicles form part of Heppner’s strategic decarbonisation plan by integrating electric power into its energy mix.
The Volta Zero is a medium duty commercial vehicle designed specifically for urban logistics. With up to 225kWh of battery power located between the chassis rails, the vehicle has a range of up to 200km.
For driver safety, the Volta Zero features a lowered central seating position, with 220 degrees of direct vision and 360-degree bird’s-eye camera visibility.
Heppner chief executive Jean-Thomas Schmitt said: “Our approach to reducing our carbon footprint is global and we act wherever possible. I am proud to be able to lay a new brick in our energy transition with Volta Trucks, which is a key pillar of our strategy.”
Volta Trucks chief executive Essa Al-Saleh added: “I’m delighted to welcome Heppner to Volta Trucks. Both teams have worked towards a shared vision – to implement the full-electric Volta Zero onto Heppner’s fleet but also recognising that the migration to zero tailpipe emissions needs more than a truck, it needs the complete electrification ecosystem around the truck to be successful.”
Image courtesy of Volta Trucks
