Swedish electric commercial vehicle manufacturer and services provider Volta Trucks has completed the first implementation of its fully electric Volta Zero with Truck-as-a-Service charging infrastructure.
With deployment for Heppner, a creator of international transport and logistics solutions to and from France, Volta will bring zero-tailpipe emission trucks to the market. Volta Zero is the world’s first purpose-built full-electric 16-tonne vehicle designed for urban logistics.
The pre-order with deposit from Heppner will see 16 full-electric Volta Zeros operate from the company’s depots in Rungis and La Courneuve in Paris, and Lyon.
The agreement also covers the implementation of the electric charging infrastructure to run the vehicles, with a range of 22kW slow and 150kW fast chargers. The chargers will be installed by Volta Trucks’ recently announced charging infrastructure partner, Siemens. The strategic partnership with Siemens includes software control systems, facility electrification, charging stations operation, energy management, building equipment and project finance.
Truck-as-a-Service is designed to de-risk and accelerate the migration to electric commercial vehicles for fleet managers, Volta Trucks said. The Heppner Group is developing its urban distribution offering by introducing both the full-electric Volta Zero trucks into its fleet of vehicles.
The vehicles are part of Heppner’s strategic decarbonization plan, integrating electric power into its energy mix. This agreement will enable Heppner to offer its drivers both 16-tonne and 18-tonne full-electric trucks suitable for last-mile delivery, the company said.
With 150-225 kWh of battery power, located between the chassis rails as the safest possible location, the Volta Zero will deliver a range of 150-200 km, which is more than sufficient for distribution in city centres.
“At Heppner, our approach to reducing our carbon footprint is global and we act wherever possible,” said Jean-Thomas Schmitt, Chief Executive Officer of the Heppner Group.
Commenting on the development, Essa Al-Saleh, Chief Executive Officer of Volta Trucks, said both teams recognized that the migration to zero tailpipe emissions needs the complete electrification ecosystem around the truck to be successful. “I’m sure this will provide a template and case study that others will follow,” the Volta chief said of the project.