- Steyr Automotive and Volta Trucks sign a manufacturing agreement which will see Volta Zero production commence in Austria on time, at the end of 2022.
- Partnership with Steyr Automotive forms a vital part of the company’s recently announced Road-to-Zero Emissions strategy.
Volta Trucks, a leading and disruptive full-electric commercial vehicle manufacturer and services provider, has confirmed that the first Volta Zero vehicles will be manufactured in Steyr, Austria, by Steyr Automotive, formerly MAN Truck and Bus Austria. The announcement follows a wide-ranging competitive tender process with potential suppliers throughout Europe. Steyr Automotive were appointed based on their extensive experience of commercial vehicle manufacturing, existing manufacturing infrastructure and consequent speed to market. This will allow Volta Trucks to confidently start series production in late 2022, following customer trials of Pilot Fleet vehicles that will commence mid-next year.
The announcement to partner with Steyr Automotive provides Volta Trucks with more than 100 years of manufacturing experience building large commercial vehicles. Over time, the contract will create up to 500 jobs in the region in addition to an estimated 2000 positions within the supply chain.
The confirmation of the manufacturing partner forms an integral part of the Volta Trucks Road-to-Zero Emissions strategy, released in May 2021. The strategy sees four Volta Zero models ranging from 7.5 to 19 tonnes, with more than 27,000 units built per year by 2025.
The Road-to-Zero Emissions strategy also confirmed that Volta Trucks planned to manufacture vehicles close to the markets in which they will be sold, reducing the environmental footprint of vehicle distribution. With London and Paris identified as the initial launch cities, and a Europe-first city-specific roll out strategy, the plant in Austria is perfectly situated close to the initial markets, supporting the accelerated roll-out of full-electric commercial vehicles to customers.
The Road-to-Zero Emissions strategy also confirmed the company’s planned market expansion across Europe followed by North American and Asian markets. Additional global manufacturing plants are also already under consideration.
Confirming the announcement, co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer of Volta Trucks, Kjell Waloen, said;
“The partnership with Steyr Automotive marks a significant milestone for Volta Trucks, and one of the important milestones ahead of us starting to build full electric trucks by the end of 2022. The team at Steyr Automotive has demonstrable capability to manufacture the Volta Zero with decades of previous premium truck-building experience. Building our trucks in Austria, in the heart of our European launch region, will accelerate our time to market and minimise the environmental footprint of our operations, supporting our sustainability ambitions – a key factor in our decision-making process. The partnership will now allow Volta Trucks to quickly ramp up our production as we look to meet the demands of our customers who need to replace their fleets with zero emission vehicles as soon as possible.”
Siegfried Wolf, Chairman of the Board of Steyr Automotive, continued; “We are very pleased and excited that Volta Trucks selected Steyr Automotive for the manufacturing for the new electric Volta Zero. With the expertise and experience of our team in Steyr, we are looking forward to a long-lasting successful partnership with Volta Trucks.”
Volta Zero.
The Volta Zero is the world’s first purpose-built full-electric 16-tonne vehicle designed for inner-city freight deliveries, reducing the environmental impact of freight deliveries in city centres. Designed from the ground up with an operating pure-electric range of 150 – 200 kms (95 – 125 miles), the Volta Zero will eliminate an estimated nearly 1.2M tonnes of CO2 by 2025.
Safety is also at the heart of Volta Trucks, with its ambition of being the safest large commercial vehicle manufacturer. The Volta Zero was designed for electric from the outset, which facilitates a step-change in vehicle, driver and pedestrian safety. Thanks to the removal of the internal combustion engine, the operator of a Volta Zero sits in a central driving position, with a much lower seat height than a conventional truck. This combination, plus a glass house-style cab design, gives the driver a wide 220-degrees of visibility, minimising dangerous blind spots. The prototype Volta Zero was launched in September 2020, with the first vehicles expected to be operating with customers in late 2021.
Images courtesy of Volta Trucks.