Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - August 2023 - 28

VOLTA
ZERO
IS U.S.
BOUND
Volta Trucks plans to produce
vehicles in the U.S. starting in 2026.
The startup plans to apply lessons learned in Europe to the U.S. market, bringing
a " small fleet " of electric trucks for potential customers by the end of the year.
by Sebastian Blanco
V
olta Trucks has been operating its all-electric Volta Zero delivery
trucks in Europe for three years. Now, the map is expanding.
Fleet operators soon will be able to get behind the
wheel of a Class 6 or 7 Zero in the U.S., adding to a growing
list of electric options for moving freight.
Volta displayed a Zero at the 2023 Advanced Clean Transportation
(ACT) Expo in Anaheim, California, in May as a sort of ambassador.
Volta will tour this truck around the U.S. for a few months before
bringing over a " small fleet " for potential customers to test out and
perhaps integrate into their operations before the end of the year,
according to Volta Trucks CEO Essa Al-Saleh. It's all part of a dramatic
shift towards electrification throughout the industry, he said.
" I think this is a pivotal moment in the transition, " Al-Saleh said.
" Where there had been a lot of questions with very few answers, now
there are a lot more answers to those questions, but not all of them. "
Both the Class 6 and 7 versions of the Volta Zero use a 225-kWh
battery for a maximum range of 125 miles (200 km). For delivery
drivers who will not need more than 95 miles (153 km) of range between
charges, a 150-kWh battery also is available. The truck can DC
fast charge at 150 kW or use a 19.2-kW Level 2 charger. The Zero has
a maximum payload capacity of 12,975 pounds (5,885 kg).
Blank-sheet design
Al-Saleh said Volta believes the Zero is a solution for last-mile, midduty
urban operations, but not just because of the powertrain.
Redesigning a delivery van that has for decades been built around a
large diesel engine meant Volta could eliminate the ICE and its associated
emissions. But that's not all.
" There's an opportunity to rethink the design to impact safety and
driver comfort, to which then you hopefully attract more drivers and
reduce driver attrition due to injury, " he said. " If you come at [the
design] from the ground up - you have a blank sheet of paper to
rethink that and build your supply chain - your manufacturing pro28
August 2023
cess will be able to produce a unique truck that solves
fundamental issues in this industry. And that's where
we are. We're at that moment. "
The attitude that the commercial-truck industry is at
a crucial turning point was evident throughout the ACT
Expo. Al-Saleh joined others at the show in pointing out
that the next big step for the industry is onboarding
new customers and fleets. He said the truck wins people
over quickly. The driver's door opens like on a bus to
make it safer in the city. Drivers notice the low step up
into the truck and quickly adapt to sitting in the center
of the cabin, but they also mention the benefits of a
cabin that's much quieter than a similar diesel truck.
" Our drivers said they feel they have a lot more energy
at the end of the routes, " Al-Saleh said. " That's
intangible but significant. "
Al-Saleh understands that getting more EVs into
fleets will take more than driver approval. Potential
customers need someone to answer their questions
and simplify the issues surrounding not just the initial
transition but also ways to maintain an electric truck
and how to best reduce the cost of ownership.
" It's companies like us at the center of this ecosystem
- with partners, whether they're charging, financing,
service capabilities, telematics or data services -
to make it compelling for our customers to manage a
new electric fleet, " he said.
Plan for mass production
With strong demand expected, Volta needs a plan for
mass production. Volta has been building a limited
number of trucks at a contract manufacturing plant in
Steyr, Austria, and received certification in March 2023
TRUCK & OFF-HIGHWAY ENGINEERING
SAE/SEBASTIAN BLANCO
Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - August 2023

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