The first 16-tonne fully electric truck from Volta Trucks has rolled off the production line at the company’s contract manufacturing facility in Steyr, Austria.
Dubbed Volta Zero, it is the first of a series of second-generation ‘Production Verification’ prototypes  that will be loaned to customers for extended periods later this year. Volta expects to begin series production of customer specification vehicles  in early 2023.
Kjell Walöen, the co-founder and chief manufacturing and logistics officer of Volta Trucks, said the moment was “a significant landmark” for the Volta team which in just 12 months has delivered “the safest and most sustainable trucks to urban streets.”
Production of the Volta Zero is taking place at a contract manufacturing facility run by Steyr Automotive, formerly known as MAN Truck and Bus Austria.
Steyr Automotive has currently reserved a capacity of 14,000 vehicles per year for Volta Trucks from its available production lines, and over time it is expected manufacturing the Volta Zero will create 510 jobs and another 180 jobs for the building of the cargo boxes.
Vota’s capital raisings
Volta Trucks successfully raised €230 million ($A361 million) earlier this year to kick start production of the company’s Volta Zero.
This was followed in May with the unveiling of two new variants of the Volta Zero, bringing the total variants available up to four – including 7.5-, 12-, 16-, and 18-tonne variants.
Designed for city distribution, the original 16-tonne Volta Zero uses either a standard 150kWh, or the higher capacity 225kWh battery pack to deliver a manufacturer-estimated range of 145-kilometres and 200-kilometres, respectively.
Volta Trucks also announced in May that it will introduce 100% battery electric commercial vehicles into North America in 2023, led by the Volta Zero Class 7 truck, equivalent to the existing European 16-ton truck, with a dry or refrigerated cargo box.
Joshua S. Hill is a Melbourne-based journalist who has been writing about climate change, clean technology, and electric vehicles for over 15 years. He has been reporting on electric vehicles and clean technologies for Renew Economy and The Driven since 2012. His preferred mode of transport is his feet.