Volta Trucks says it has locked up a production agreement to build its trucks at a plant in Austria.
The commercial battery-electric vehicle manufacturer and services provider will see the first Volta Zero trucks roll off the line at Steyr Automotive, formerly MAN Truck and Bus Austria. The announcement follows a competitive tender process with potential suppliers throughout Europe.
Volta Trucks says the Austrian manufacturer was chosen based on its experience in commercial-vehicle manufacturing, existing manufacturing infrastructure and potential speed to market. The decision could see series production of the Volta Zero begin in late 2022, following customer trials of pilot fleet vehicles that will commence mid next year.
Steyr Automotive can trace its history of producing vehicles back more than 100 years and the companies expect the contract eventually will create up to 500 jobs in the Steyr region in addition to an estimated 2,000 positions within the supply chain. Volta’s production strategy anticipates four Volta Zero models ranging from 7.5 to 19 tons, with more than 27,000 units built per year by 2025.
The truck maker’s Road-to-Zero Emissions strategy includes the desire to manufacture vehicles close to the markets in which they will be sold, reducing the environmental footprint of vehicle distribution. With London and Paris identified as the initial launch cities, and a Europe-first, city-specific rollout strategy, the plant in Austria is well located close to the initial markets, supporting the accelerated rollout of full-electric commercial vehicles to customers.
Its strategy also foresees a planned market expansion across Europe followed by North American and Asian markets. Additional global manufacturing plants are also under consideration.
Confirming the announcement, co-founder and chief technology officer of Volta Trucks, Kjell Waloen, says: “Building our trucks in Austria, in the heart of our European launch region, will accelerate our time to market and minimize the environmental footprint of our operations, supporting our sustainability ambitions – a key factor in our decision-making process.
“The partnership will now allow Volta Trucks to quickly ramp up our production as we look to meet the demands of our customers who need to replace their fleets with zero-emission vehicles as soon as possible.”
