What’s Happening: Electric commercial vehicle manufacturer Volta Trucks has announced the start of production of its 16-tonne all-electric Volta Zero truck at Steyr Automotive’s manufacturing facility in Steyr, Austria. The first series production vehicles are now entering the production line, following the Design Verification and Production Validation prototypes initiated in 2022.
Why It Matters: As urban areas worldwide seek environmentally friendly solutions for transportation, the development and production of electric commercial vehicles like the Volta Zero will play a crucial role in reducing emissions and noise pollution. This milestone signals a significant step forward for electric truck technology and adoption, with potential benefits for climate protection, urban quality of life, and job creation.
Key Points:
- The initial batch of production vehicles will be used for the Volta Zero Driving Experience Programme, where customers can test drive the trucks for an extended period to understand their integration into daily operations.
- Trucks produced will undergo extensive quality assurance and testing before being dispatched to customers, with the first trucks expected to be delivered in Q3, 2023.
- Austrian Minister of Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology, Leonore Gewessler, visited the manufacturing facility to witness the preparations for the start of production, expressing her pride in the project’s role in promoting e-mobility and climate protection.
- Steyr Automotive was chosen as the contract manufacturing partner for Volta Trucks in August 2021, providing over 100 years of commercial vehicle manufacturing experience.
- The company has reserved a capacity of up to 14,000 vehicles per year for Volta Trucks, with production volumes expected to ramp up over the coming years.
- Manufacturing the Volta Zero could create over 700 jobs and an estimated 2,000 additional positions within the supply chain.
Bottom Line: The start of production for the all-electric Volta Zero truck marks a significant milestone for Volta Trucks and the electric vehicle industry. As the company ramps up production over the coming years, the Volta Zero could contribute to climate protection efforts, improved urban quality of life, and the creation of thousands of jobs in the manufacturing and supply chain sectors.
