Soon more than 100 cities emission-free: DB Schenker brings first Prototype Volta Zero truck on the road

DB Schenker, one of the world's leading logistics service providers, has been presented the first pilot Volta Zero truck taking part in the European field test and visited the Volta Trucks’ contract manufacturing facility in Steyr, Austria, to see the final prototype generation of the all-electric Volta Zero truck in pre-production. 150 Volta Trucks will be handed over to DB Schenker in 2023.

Cyrille Bonjean, Head of Land Transport at DB Schenker Europe, says: "Once again, DB Schenker is taking a pioneering role. As the market leader, we aspire to be the world's number one provider of green logistics. We take responsibility for a reduction of emissions resulting from our fleet operations. The European field test of the Volta Zero Trucks is an important milestone for us and for Volta Trucks. The feedback of our drivers and carriers will be taken into account for the series production of the all-electric Volta Zero. With the on-boarding of the first 150 Volta Zero series production vehicles, we will be able to deliver emission-free with more than 330 eTrucks from 7,5t to 19t in 124 cities across 22 countries plus around 70 cargo bikes – an e-fleet unmatched in the freight forwarding market.”

Essa Al-Saleh, Chief Executive of Volta Trucks, continued: “Being able to welcome 
DB Schenker to our contract manufacturing facility in Steyr and show them, first-hand, the production progress of their first all-electric Volta Zero test vehicle, is extremely exciting. DB Schenker has joined us on the journey to decarbonization, and they’ve been able to experience and see the many safety and environmental advantages that the Volta Zero will bring to their urban logistics, and making our cities safer and more sustainable. Meeting with them in Steyr and being able to show them the actual vehicle that they’ll be testing in its build phases brings the whole experience to life, and is a significant step for all of us.” 

The Volta Zero Production Verification prototype, which DB Schenker witnessed the build of in Steyr, will be one of a fleet of test trucks which the company will operate as part of a European field trial. The fleet of trucks will be used in DB Schenker’s European terminals to transport goods from distribution hubs to the city centres and urban areas. This is where the vehicle’s innovative design that uses a safety-oriented cab to protect vulnerable road users, as well as its zero-tailpipe emission drivetrain, will offer the greatest benefits.

In September 2022, DB Schenker and Volta Trucks successfully completed the very first on-road testing of the all-electric Volta Zero Design Verification prototype in Paris. This was part of an engineering development phase where no load could be carried. The next phase of testing will enable DB Schenker to operate the Volta Zero in real distribution environments carrying full payloads.

DB Schenker will be operating these test vehicles in 18 different cities across Europe and Scandinavia, including France, Germany, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden & Norway.