The first Volta Zero truck rolls off the assembly line and nears mass production

Commercial electric vehicle startup Volta Trucks has shared another major milestone in its lightning-fast 12-month journey to get its flagship Zero truck into production. The first-ever Volta Zero truck rolled off its assembly line in Austria, launching a series of validation prototypes for customers ahead of full commercial production next year.

Volta Trucks is a London-based commercial start-up offering Trucks as a Service (TaaS) with additional offices in Sweden and France. Since its inception in 2019, Volta has been working hard to deliver its first commercial truck, the Volta Zero, which first debuted as a concept drawing.

Volta has evolved at a much faster rate than many other startups, starting with the 16 ton version of the Volta Zero. For example, this model has already been joined by plans for three more variants.

These smaller versions were unveiled last spring and are expected to reach customers in 2025. Before then, however, a larger 18-ton version of the Volta Zero will join the original 16-ton truck. Add to that plans to deliver Volta Zero trucks to the United States in mid-2023, from Los Angeles, and it’s easy to recognize that the startup is perpetually thinking five steps ahead, despite having to still reach the start of overseas production first.

Last week Volta shared the progress of the ongoing Zero prototypes tested in extremely hot conditions, but did not mention any production updates. Today, however, the company announced that the first-ever Zero truck rolled off its assembly line, kicking off the final phase of the model before commercial production.

Volta launches Zero Truck pilot program ahead of production

Although this is the first Volta Zero truck to be assembled in Steyr, Austria, where all future models will be built by contract manufacturer Steyr Automotive, it is not yet the official start of production, but he is close. According to the startupthis “benchmark vehicle” is the first in a series of second-generation prototypes undergoing production validation that will form a pilot fleet.

These final prototypes will be loaned to fleet customers throughout 2022 and early 2023 so they can experience the all-electric trucks first-hand and better understand how and where they can fit into day-to-day operations. each. Kjell Walöen, Co-Founder and Director of Manufacturing and Logistics at Volta Trucks, spoke as the first truck rolled off the assembly line:

This first vehicle to roll off the production line at our manufacturing facility in Steyr is the final milestone in Volta Trucks’ journey towards the start of production of customer vehicles. Reaching this milestone in just 12 months is a testament to the pace at which we are working to deliver the safest and most durable trucks to city streets, and the excellent collaboration we have with our partners at Steyr Automotive. Their team used generations of experience building premium trucks to deliver the first Volta Zero off the production line on time and to the highest quality standards.

Steyr Automotive won the Volta Trucks contract last summer and has already allocated production capacity of 14,000 all-electric trucks per year. Speaking of production, Volta Trucks says commercial assembly is expected to begin in early 2023, following the aforementioned pilot fleet program.

Additional models and trucks shipping overseas to the United States are expected to follow in 2023 and 2024. You can see the Volta Zero truck tested in extreme weather conditions earlier this month in the video below:

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