Parcel delivery company DPD UK has completed a series of engineering tests with the full-electric Volta Zero, as part of wider trials for the new 16-tonne truck.
The design verification prototype vehicle was based at the firm’s Hinckley hub in Leicestershire and drivers were accompanied by Volta Trucks engineers and qualified drivers.
While no parcels were onboard, the truck was tested on a range of pre-determined routes including motorways, A-roads and urban centres.
The Volta Zero is the world’s first purpose-built full-electric 16-tonne vehicle, designed for urban logistics.
With an operating pure-electric range of 95 to 125 miles, the truck is designed to significantly reduce the environmental impact of freight deliveries in city centres.
The trials are part of Volta’s test and development programme and a key step towards the start of customer production in early 2023.
DPD is on track to have more than 3,000 electric vehicles on the road this year and 4,000 by 2023, when it will be delivering to 30 towns and cities using EVsonly.
Olly Craughan, Head of Sustainability, DPD UK said, “We had the truck for five days and it is very impressive. The beta trials are an opportunity for us to test the vehicle first-hand, while helping Volta Trucks see exactly how it performs in real-life scenarios and on typical routes.
“Working with the Volta Trucks team in the cab gave us a great insight into what they are doing and how the truck could fit into the fleet.
“Increasingly we are operating in low or zero-emission zones in major cities, so with micro-depots and all-electric city centre van fleets we have already transformed our urban delivery strategy.
“But there is a real need for bigger, green vehicles that can fit into that strategy.”
