Volta Trucks’ urban and last-mile electric trucks are already on their way to Spain. Or they soon will be, because the Swedish electric mobility company has focus on Madrid to fill the city with these models from 2023. On the horizon, almost a year to conclude commercial agreements that materialize in the purchase of some of the fleet models that the company plans to deploy in a few months . Also the objective of extending its fleet to the rest of the major cities of the country, according to Carl-Magnus Norden, founder of Volta Trucks, for hypertextual.
In all, 5,000 electric trucks per All of Europe They will start mass production at the end of this year. All fueled by a funding round, freshly minted and announced a month ago, by Volta Trucks. 230 million euros from Luxor Capital, a fund based in New York, and with the collaboration of Byggmästare Anders J Ahlström, in Stockholm. An operation that culminates a previous one, in 2021, of 37 million euros.
How many Volta Trucks trucks will arrive in the capital? It’s not quite clear. On the table are months of negotiations with companies that are willing to do so. Among its targets: “Packaging and logistics companies, food and beverage companies, and large household items such as furniture and appliances.” Companies for which they will offer the financing of vehicles and the installation of charging stations.
Likewise, they are not the first to operate in the country. Aquaservice, a water company for businesses and individuals, already operates with a 100% electric model in Valencia for last mile deliveries. Volta Trucks’ idea would be to extend the range to all types of businesses.
Volta Trucks only for city transport, for the moment
Freight transport is a hot topic right now. Volta Trucks couldn’t have chosen better Hourly to travel to Spain. It is, indeed, one of the countries most affected by the rise in fuel prices and the expenses that this entails – practically at a loss – for the goods sector.
On strike for nearly two weeks due to the situation in the sector, several agreements are already on the horizon. Some that the whole of the transport sector does not appreciate: a reduction in the price of fuel has been proposed to transporters. 20 euro cents per liter or kilo of fuel. A proposal that keeps the sector divided, which after two weeks of strike is beginning to consider getting back on the road.
Viable solutions are being worked on and so far the closest we have are last mile trucks
With this panorama, and with some examples like Volta Trucks, the electrification of trucks has remained in the background, but it points to the future. The problem? Workable solutions are being developed and, for now, the closest we have are the trucks for the last mile. The idea of autonomous trucks had been launched by Google, also by a subsidiary of Uber. And there are also approximations in its electrification. Of course, Tesla with Elon Musk at the helm, introduced the Tesla Semi in 2017. The call to pioneer electric road transport. With 800 kilometers of autonomy and a charge in just 30 minutes, it is one of the best bets for just under 160,000 euros.
Daimler with the E-Fuso Vision One, Volvo with the FL Electric or even Toyota, Mercedes and Cummins are also studying viable models. It looks like they will be implanted in 10 years.
And it is that achieving the goal of electrifying truck fleets is no easy task for major truck manufacturers beyond Volta Trucks. It’s not the same thing to create an electric car and a truck. Keep in mind that these are heavy duty vehicles that have to carry very heavy loads in a limited amount of time. In other words, They are big consumers of energy. Could we put many batteries in the truck? After all, they are big and they have space. Yes, but that would mean increasing its total mass by tons, which would be an additional problem. It is a case excluded from all points on which they must continue to investigate.
With this, Volta Trucks half solves the problem. Its model, between 7.5 and 18 tons – and of European manufacture – is designed for activity in the city center. In this case Madrid, which will be released after London or Paris. A system that adjusts to the decarbonization plans of large cities and that has had the freight transport sector as the central point of the problem. And even if, as they explain to this media, they do not exclude that in the future the business of long distances and loads will be confronted, the objective of Volta Trucks is to solve the problem in the cities. With a range of 150 kilometres, 200 with a long battery life, they suggest it’s the perfect model for last mile businesses.
According to data from the European Union, 72% of CO2 emissions on the road come from the transport of goods. Trucks were, and still are, the cause of noise and pollution beyond passenger cars. The difference is that they are still essential.
