Over the course of 2022, the Move Electric team have tested, driven and ridden a huge range of electric vehicles. This week we're reflecting on the star machines we've tried: these aren't necessarily the best, but memorable ones that left a big impression on us.
Today, Move Electric staff writer Sam Phillips makes his selection.
As the world recovered from its pandemic-incurred wounds, one company set out its goal to reinvent the truck for the electric era.
Volta Trucks’s distinctive Zero machine tore up the sketch book for conventional truck design, launching instead with a central driving position, glasshouse-style cab and a host of safety focused features.
The truck that was revealed just a mere two years ago was now parked in front of me on the city route at the UTAC Autodrome in southern Paris.
What struck me the most was how markedly similar the new Zero was to its concept. A good look around the vehicle showed that Volta had stayed true to its original plans, maintaining its central driving position.
From the passenger seat, Volta’s early claims on improved safety and greater visibility were made clear during a ride around the UTAC city course. The lengthened front windscreen makes a dramatic difference, providing the driver with a 220-degree field of view. Visibility is exceptional and you can see far into the distance in all scenarios.
With nine external cameras and slide opening doors, the Zero - as a package - also appears to be one of the safest vehicles to launch this year. Volta even lowered the seat height so that the driver’s eye line was around 1.8 metres, mirroring the height of pedestrians and other road users.
Volta has been clear from the outset that it isn’t planning on reshaping the haulage industry. Their focus lies on last-mile inner-city logistics, with the Zero set for operations in cities such as London and Paris.
What is also commendable is the pace at which the firm has delivered its first vehicle. In just two years the firm has gone from a concept, to a 16-tonne production-verification prototype, which is set to enter production in early 2023.
Intrigued by its pace to market, Volta Trucks founder Carl-Magnus Norden explained that from the beginning, speed and scale had been highly important to the firm's plans and creating the Zero quickly and efficiently - with the help of key suppliers - was the focus. So far, this business model has paid off.
As the Zero truck nears production, the Swedish truck brand has already made its ambitions clear and companies are liking what they see; the order bank of more than 6500 vehicles proves that.
And with plans to launch 18, 12 and 7.5 tonne models, it appears that Volta Trucks is only just getting started.
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