2023-03-12 08:00:00
Almost 30,000 trucks were sold across Germany last year. 116 of them had an electric drive – almost twice as many as in 2021. Experts assume that by the end of the decade a good third of truck mileage would have to be covered electrically if the climate protection goals in road freight transport are to be achieved. Volta Trucks is now warming up to this and has set up its service center in Düsseldorf for the German market. Further branch offices are planned in cities such as Berlin, Hamburg, Frankfurt and Leipzig.
The Swedish manufacturer will soon start to order its 16-tonne Volta Zero in the former MAN plant in Steyr. 300 pre-ordered vehicles are to be built first. A small part of it will be made available to interested companies for two to eight weeks for testing purposes. Half of the first batch goes to DB Schenker. The logistician has already expressed an interest in a total of 1,470 Volta trucks.
The Volta Zero was designed for inner-city distribution traffic. Depending on the battery size, ranges of 150 to 200 kilometers should be possible. However, the company goes far beyond previous solutions. The Zero is characterized by a low driver’s cab. Electric sliding doors make it easier to get in and out during goods delivery. The driver sits in the middle behind a 220-degree windscreen. Eleven cameras also ensure that there are virtually no blind spots. In addition to the 16-ton truck, there will be an 18-ton truck, and in addition to the box body there will also be a refrigerated body. A 7.5 and a twelve ton truck are also planned.
An electric truck still costs about two to three times as much as a classic diesel vehicle. Volta therefore also relies on Truck-as-a-Service, offering the Zero not only for sale but also for leasing, if desired also takes care of insurance, telematics, helps with the installation of the charging points or trains the drivers and provides replacement vehicles. These options can be selected individually. The company evaluates the location for potential customers and promises temporary charging solutions within one to two weeks. The construction of the final infrastructure should then take between six and twelve months.
After all, Germany has one of the highest subsidies for e-trucks. The company calculates that after eight years and around 50,000 kilometers of mileage, the total costs of ownership will be a fifth below the level of a diesel truck. (aum/jri)
1684891242
#Volta #Trucks #warming