New Volta Zero electric truck

The new Volta Zero truck can help massively to improve safety for vulnerable road users in major cities, according to the firm’s engineering chief. The machines are being readied at a prototyping facility near Coventry.

The Zero will be offered with a 150kWh and  225kWh batteries, with a range of up to 125 miles. Designed for urban areas it will be used in areas with high numbers of pedestrians and cyclists. This is especially important for road users safety as data shows that large goods vehicles have been involved in a disproportionate number of fatal accidents. According to Transport for London statistics, trucks account for just four per cent of road miles travelled in the UK capital, yet are responsible for 26% of pedestrian fatalities and 78% of cyclist fatalities. Zero want to change these statistics. One major challenge for drivers of large delivery trucks in urban areas is visibility: large blind spots where pedestrians and cyclists are often found.

Ian Collins, Volta’s chief product officer, said that the Zero has been designed from the beginning with a primary focus on improving safety, through its unusual low cab design. “For us, electric is the starting point and the starting point was not to build electric trucks but to make city centres safer and better."

The Proterra-supplied batteries on the Zero sit in a long tube that sits between the two chassis rails where the transmission tunnel of an ICE truck would sit, with the motor and transmission combined into an ‘e-axle’ that has been developed by Meritor and is mounted at the rear. The removal of the combustion engine at the front has opened up the cab design. Volta worked to lower the chassis rails at the front, which allows for a lower, more open cab. That sits on independent suspension, which helps to lower it further. Inside, the cab features a central driving seat, with two passenger seats set back in each corner.

Volta has fitted large glass doors with floor-to-ceiling visibility: the driver has 220 degrees of vision, numerous sensors and both digital and physical wing mirrors. The symmetrical design also means the driver can choose which side to exit to maximise safety. The lower cab also has benefits for the driver: it is easier for them to get in and out of without the need to climb steps, and Volta has designed it to be more comfortable to spend time in.

The central driver’s seat is comfortable , well sprung and visibility out of both side doors is really good. 

The 26 machines that have been built in Coventry will be used for a range of tests and there are machines in Sweden undertaking cold-weather testing, and others doing durability work in Germany. The Volta is due to start arriving with customers early next year and the firm will initially offer it in London and Paris. Demand is really strong in the latter due to an incoming ban on all diesel vehicles in Paris from 2023 onwards. 

The 16-tonne Zero offers 8.6-tonnes of cargo capacity, Volta has plans for three more electric trucks by 2025, with 7.5, 12  and 18-tonne versions.