Advancing clean technology solutions to reduce and eliminate air pollution has been identified as one of the most effective ways to reverse the impacts of climate change. Medium-to-heavy-duty vehicles like delivery trucks are responsible for approximately a quarter of all transportation emissions. Urban cities are hubs for dangerously high levels of air pollution, with more than 80 per cent of people living in urban areas exposed to air quality levels that exceed the World Health Organization guidelines.  

Volta Trucks, a European commercial vehicle manufacturer, developed the Volta Zero — the world’s first purpose-built, fully-electric 16-ton commercial vehicle designed specifically for inner city freight distribution. Powered by Proterra’s electric vehicle technology, the Volta Zero is designed to address and eliminate the air pollution found in cities across the globe.  

Chief Communications Officer of Volta Trucks, Duncan Forrester, spoke with us about Volta Trucks and why the Volta Zero is a solution that will help combat the climate crisis:

Q: Tell us about Volta Trucks.  

A: Volta Trucks is a scale-up, all-electric commercial vehicle manufacturer and services company that was founded in 2019 by serial entrepreneurs Carl-Magnus and Kjell Waloen. Carl-Magnus has been key in a number of business ventures across Europe over the past 30 years and with Volta Trucks, aims to accelerate the transition to all-electric trucks, reducing the effects of climate change and helping to make our cities safer, healthier and more sustainable for everyone. Volta Trucks’ Head Office is in Stockholm, Sweden, with its engineering-led from the UK, and a contract manufacturing facility in Steyr, Austria. The company also has sales teams across the UK, France, Spain, Italy, Germany, and the Netherlands. 

 Q: Why is EV technology ideal for urban delivery and logistics? 

 A: Our all-electric Volta Trucks are built to stop polluting fumes from entering the air and people’s lungs. Volta Trucks cares about cities and aims to accelerate the industry to change as fast as possible. Also, with enhanced safety features for both driver and city users alike, the zero-tailpipe emission Volta Zero is suited and designed for urban delivery. The rapid increase in cities implementing low/zero emission zones, as well as customers accelerating their own sustainability programs has contributed to an increase in demand for all-electric commercial vehicles. 

 Q: Volta has stated sustainability is at its core. Can you explain what that means and why sustainability is important for the company? 

 A: Volta Trucks’ main sustainability goals are highlighted in our mission “to be the leader in zero tailpipe emission transport, reducing the effects of global warming and making our cities safer, healthier and more pleasant for all.” Urban cities are impacted the most by air pollution thus need equipment to decrease this impact.  

Volta Trucks’ sustainability strategy also has the goals of building a resilient business through effective management of sustainability-related opportunities and risks and creating value for our key stakeholders (including employees, customers, investors, and society as a whole).   

 Q: How is Volta ensuring the utmost safety to its customers?  

 A: Safety is also at the heart of Volta Trucks. Our ambition is to be the safest large commercial vehicle manufacturer.  

 Thanks to the removal of the traditional internal combustion engine, we’ve completely redesigned the cab so the driver of a Volta Zero has a wide 220-degrees of direct vision around the vehicle. This is designed to deliver a five-star Direct Vision Standard rating for optimum visibility and the reduction of blind spots. The driver of a Volta Zero sits far lower than in a conventional truck, with their eye-line at around 1.8 meters. This mirrors the height of pedestrians and other road users nearby for easy visual communication between the driver and others around. 

 Q: How does Proterra’s mission intersect with Volta’s? 

A: It was imperative for us to work with an industry leader with proven results to ensure the quality, longevity, and safe performance of the battery. Proterra is a leader in the development of commercial and transit vehicle battery solutions, with a proven track record of delivering batteries to commercial vehicle programs.

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Our 10+ years of electrification expertise continues to play an integral role in helping Volta and other OEMs keep pace with the automotive industry’s movement toward powerful zero-emission vehicles. We’re proud to be part of Volta Trucks’ journey to bring zero-emission delivery vehicles to urban cities in the European market and beyond.