DB Schenker, one of the world’s leading logistics service providers with Michigan operations in Romulus, Flint, and Grand Rapids, today announced a partnership with Stockholm, Sweden-based Volta Trucks, a leading full-electric commercial vehicle manufacturer, that includes the pre-order of nearly 1,500 Volta Zero vehicles.
“We have many challenges to overcome on the road to carbon neutrality,” says Cyrille Bonjean, executive vice president of land transport at DB Schenker. “The large-scale partnership with Volta Trucks allows us to significantly increase the pace of electrification of our fleet and invest in greener transport solutions, brings us closer again to our goal of carbon neutral logistics.”
As part of the partnership, DB Schenker will use the first prototype of the Volta Zero in real distribution conditions starting in spring and summer of 2022. The findings from these tests will be incorporated into the serial production of 1,470 vehicles built at Volta’s new manufacturing facility in Steyr, Austria.
The full-electric Volta Zero will be used in DB Schenker’s European terminals to transport goods from distribution hubs to city centers and urban areas. This is where the companies believe the zero-emission drivetrain will offer the greatest benefit.
The two companies will continue to explore the potential uses to the technology for purposes of expanding the offering. The rollout will begin at ten locations in five countries. Through the partnership, they will also develop specifications for the previously announced Volta Zero variant.
“I am delighted to welcome DB Schenker as a Volta Trucks customer,” says Essa Al-Saleh, CEO of Volta Trucks. “Working with DB Schenker on Europe’s largest full-electric truck order demonstrates the confidence that major freight distributors have in our ability to deliver a world-class zero-emission vehicle on time and to the highest possible quality.”
Designed from the ground up with a pure-electric range of 95-125 miles (150-200 km), the Volta Zero will eliminate an estimated 1.3 million tons of carbon dioxide by 2025. Due to the removal of the internal combustion engine, the operator sits in a central driving position with a lower seat height than a conventional truck. This combination, along with the glasshouse-style cabin design, provides the driver with a 220-degree field of visibility, minimizing blind spots.
