The global logistics service provider DB Schenker and Volta Trucks, a disruptive fully electric commercial vehicle manufacturer and services provider, have confirmed a strong partnership and the pre-order of nearly 1,500 fully electric Volta Zero vehicles, representing Europe’s most-significant contract for the largest zero emission truck fleet to date.
The partnership will see DB Schenker use the first prototype Volta Zero trucks in customer trials of real-world distribution conditions in Spring and Summer 2022. The learnings from these trials will be used for the serial production of 1.470 vehicles at Volta Trucks’ new contract manufacturing facility in Steyr.
“Like most industries and sectors, we have a lot of challenges to master on the way to carbon neutrality. The large-scale partnership with Volta Trucks allows us to increase the pace of our fleet electrification significantly – bringing us again closer to our objective of carbon-neutral logistics.”
The fully electric 16 tonnes Volta Zero will be used across DB Schenker’s European terminals, transporting goods from distribution hubs into the city center and urban environments. This is where the vehicle’s innovative ground-up design and safety-focused cab that protects vulnerable road users, as well as its zero-emission drivetrain, offers the most benefit. Together, DB Schenker and Volta will evaluate the potential application of the technology to additional cities in order to expand the offer accordingly. The roll-out will start at ten sites in five countries.
The partnership will also see a joint development of the specification of the previously announced 12-tonne Volta Zero variant, as well as site audits to accelerate the deployment of vehicles and driver training.
Published: December 2021
