British-made electric truck gets its first order

The first orders for the vehicle will start production in 2022.

Drinks Cubed, the London-based sustainable drinks brand, has signed a multi-million-pound deal for the supply of a fleet of Volta Zero vehicles into its distribution operations between 2022 and 2023.

Drinks Cubed is the world’s first drinks company to use FSC certified paperboard and ASI certified aluminium, and EU sourced plant-based plastics in their packaging.

Complementing the Drinks Cubed approach to innovation and sustainability, the Volta Zero is the first road vehicle to use a carbon-neutral, naturally grown flax fibre and biodegradable resin composite in the construction of its exterior body panels.

Co-founder of Drinks Cubed, Sukhi Sindhu, commented: “When we set up Drinks Cubed, we wanted to do things right from the get-go. We are incredibly passionate about the challenges humanity faces today but like the team at Volta Trucks, we weren’t content with just discussing the problems - we wanted to find the solutions. So, as well as looking at our carbon footprint when it came to our packaging, we also needed to address our distribution too. That is where the Volta Zero will play its part. Volta Trucks has taken a holistic approach to sustainability, looking further than just tailpipe emissions and into sustainable methods of manufacturing and components. With Volta Trucks, we have found a brand with shared sustainability values.”

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Manufacturing the Volta Zero

To design and develop the Volta Zero launch vehicle, the electric vehicle manufacturer worked with a number of world-leading design and engineering consultancies, with Prodrive and Astheimer in the UK working together to produce the launch vehicle.

In the first half of 2021, Volta Trucks will embark on the next stage of development: the production of 12 pilot fleet vehicles.

These vehicles will be built in the UK and used for testing and evaluation with a number of Europe’s leading logistics companies to provide operator input and feedback on the final production specification.

Production of the Volta Zero is due to commence in 2022 and investigations are ongoing to secure a contract manufacturing partner to assist with production. Production is anticipated to be in the UK.

By the end of 2022, Volta Trucks aims to have built around 500 customer-specification vehicles, rising to 5,000 vehicles a year by 2025, and increasing thereafter.

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Chief Executive Officer of Volta Trucks, Rob Fowler, added: “The reception to the Volta Zero has been overwhelming – beyond even our most optimistic expectations. The positivity from media and potential customers further convinces us that there is a clear opportunity in the commercial vehicle market for a disruptor like Volta Trucks to create a vehicle from the ground up that’s not only full electric, but because of its innovative design, is both safer and more sustainable than the existing choice of trucks.

“Following the reveal, we have received enquiries for vehicles from all over the world. And I’m delighted that Drinks Cubed are the first purchaser of Volta Zero vehicles, to be delivered in 2022. And as a member of our Pioneer Programme too, they’ll be trialling pilot fleet vehicles in H1-2021 to understand how full-electric vehicles can integrate into their operations. They’ll also help us learn more about customer requirements so we can adapt and modify the final specification of customer vehicles that start production in 2022 so they are perfectly suited to our varying customer’s requirements.”