PRODUCTION OF PIONEERING ELECTRIC TRUCK BEGINS

Production of the Volta Zero 16-tonne all-electric commercial vehicle has begun.

The pioneering truck will feature cargo bodies built by Hull firm Paneltex, with the huge contract with the Austrian giant propelling the business on significantly. A total of 240 new jobs have been eyed as a dedicated factory is geared up at Newport, East Yorkshire to serve the first-of-its-kind builds.

Steyr Automotive, the contract manufacturer, is now delivering the first series of customer-specification vehicles. They will be used for a test drive programme to allow fleet operators to understand how they can be integrated into businesses.

Rigorous and extensive quality assurance and testing will follow, with the first trucks ordered by customers expected to be dispatched in the summer.

Co-founder and chief manufacturing and logistics officer of Volta Trucks, Kjell Walöen, said: “The first full production Volta Zero going into the production line at Steyr is the most substantial milestone the company has achieved to date. In just 2.5 years, less than half the time existing truck manufacturers take, we have moved from launching a concept, through the engineering, development and quality phases and now the start of production of the final specification models that will be driven by customers, making our urban environments safer and more sustainable. 

The industry-leading pace to market set by Volta Trucks is a true testament to the highly skilled and driven professionals in the company and our partners, and the whole team is extremely proud of this milestone moment.”

Paneltex is one such partner, and outlining anticipation, Steyr Automotive has reserved a capacity of up to 14,000 vehicles per year for Volta Trucks from their total available production. It anticipates creating 700 jobs in Austria with 2,000 across the supply chain – including those in East Yorkshire.

Paneltex is behind the specialist kit out of refrigerated supermarket delivery vehicles across the UK and North America, with huge growth following the explosion of online ordering.

The Dianthus Business Park location follows expansion at its Hull operations, and comes on the back of record performance, with a further 40 per cent uplift eyed with the record breaking contract.

When Volta secured European Whole Vehicle Type Approval certification last month, the production green light, Chris Berridge, managing director of Paneltex told how the company was ready to supply the cargo bodies from Hull. 

He said “This is a significant and exciting development for Paneltex and we are proud to be supporting the design and manufacture of such an innovative zero emissions truck product. The whole truck has been re-imagined from the ground up to suit 21st century urban logistics and we believe that it will have global appeal.”

Planning consents at the 140,000 sq ft site were being sought to allow for production to scale up in Newport from the summer.