Electric commercial vehicle manufacturer Volta Trucks has announced the first implementation of its new full-electric Volta Zero with ‘Truck as a Service’ charging infrastructure to transport and logistics solutions provider Heppner.
The pre-order with deposit from Heppner will see 16 full-electric Volta Zeros operate from the company’s depots in Rungis and La Courneuve in Paris, and Lyon. Importantly, the agreement also covers the implementation of the electric charging infrastructure to run the vehicles, with a range of 22kW slow and 150kW fast chargers to be installed by Volta Trucks’ recently announced charging infrastructure partner, Siemens. The strategic partnership with Siemens includes software control systems, facility electrification, charging stations operation, energy management, building equipment and project finance.
The agreement with Heppner recognises that the successful implementation of an electric commercial vehicle fleet doesn’t solely rely on the truck alone, but all the support services that surround the vehicle to get the most out of it. Volta Trucks teams have worked with Heppner to ensure that the timelines for the delivery of the vehicle, charging infrastructure and all other Truck as a Service components coincide to maximise fleet performance from day one of operations.
Volta Trucks and Heppner have worked closely together to identify charging requirements through a sequence of site assessments. Critical to deploying an effective charging solution, each assessment identified a sites existing infrastructure and upgrades required to recharge a fleet of Volta Zero trucks.
Truck as a Service is designed to de-risk and accelerate the migration to electric commercial vehicles for fleet managers. Through its Truck as a Service offer, Heppner will have access to the maintenance, servicing, insurance and training services of its vehicles, and will rely on Volta Trucks for the development and successful implementation of all aspects of the migration to electrification.
The Heppner Group is developing its urban distribution offering by introducing both the full-electric Volta Zero trucks into its fleet of vehicles. The vehicles are part of Heppner’s strategic decarbonisation plan, integrating electric power into its energy mix. This agreement will enable Heppner to offer its drivers both 16- and 18 tonne electric trucks suitable for last-mile delivery.
The Volta Zero is the first purpose-built electric medium duty commercial vehicle designed specifically for urban logistics. With 150-225kWh of battery power, located between the chassis rails as the safest possible location, it will deliver a range of 150-200km.
“At Heppner, our approach to reducing our carbon footprint is global and we act wherever possible. I am proud to be able to lay a new brick in our energy transition with Volta Trucks, which is a key pillar of our strategy,” says Jean-Thomas Schmitt, chief executive officer of the Heppner Group.
“This first successful trial is the start of a great collaboration in which innovation and agility have their place.”
Essa Al-Saleh, chief executive officer of Volta Trucks, added: “Both teams have worked towards a shared vision – to implement the full-electric Volta Zero onto Heppner’s fleet but also recognising that the migration to zero tailpipe emissions needs more than a truck, it needs the complete electrification ecosystem around the truck, to be successful.
“Our unique Truck as a Service proposition supports customers like Heppner operate an efficient and cost-effective full-electric fleet of trucks from day one. I’m sure this will provide a template and case study that others will follow.”
