Electric truck startup Volta Trucks and DB Schenker, one of the world’s leading logistics service providers and the leader in European land transport, have together completed the first on-road test phase of the full-electric Volta Zero in Europe.
For the first time, a Design Verification prototype Volta Zero operated on roads and in real distribution environments in Paris.
In 2021, both companies confirmed an intense partnership and pre-order of nearly 1,500 full-electric Volta Zero vehicles – the largest order for medium-duty electrified trucks in Europe to date. The full-electric 16-tonne Volta Zero will be used in DB Schenker’s European terminals to transport goods from distribution hubs to the city centres and urban areas. This is where the vehicle’s innovative design, safety-oriented cab to protect vulnerable road users, and zero-tailpipe emission drivetrain will offer the greatest benefits.
Together, Volta Trucks and DB Schenker will explore the potential uses of the technology to expand the offering. The rollout will begin at 10 locations in five countries.
“Since the beginning of the cooperation between DB Schenker and Volta Trucks, we have been in close contact and continued to drive the development of the vehicle forward together,” says Cyrille Bonjean, Executive Vice President Land Transport at DB Schenker in Europe. “It was great to see the result live on the streets of Paris. It all started with an idea – now it’s a reality and we look forward to adding the first pilot vehicles to the fleet in Europe at the beginning of 2023.”
Essa Al-Saleh, Chief Executive Officer of Volta Trucks, continued: “When we announced Europe’s largest order of full-electric trucks with DB Schenker, we also entered into a partnership to work together to decarbonise urban logistics. The first use of a full-electric Volta Zero in a real-world testing environment is a significant proof point of the depth of the collaboration. To see Volta Zero vehicles operating on the streets in Paris is extremely exciting and is a great forerunner to us delivering significant volumes of customer trucks at scale in the near future.”
