The saga of Volta Trucks has been around for a while now, with the European-based company making waves in the European market through some of their early and ongoing programs centered around its growing lineup of all-electric commercial vehicles. However, not much was known about Volta’s intentions for the U.S. market, but that changed recently with the company revealing its final strategy for the U.S. market which aims to put the firm in a prime position for maximum sales impact.
Volta To Bring Class 7 Trucks To U.S.
The spearhead of this strategy is the introduction of an all-new Class 7 truck which is the U.S. equivalent of a 16-ton European class truck. Smaller Class 5 and Class 6 trucks will follow in the wings and the trio will attempt to give Volta the chance to take a sizable slice of the electric truck market.
While this might seem like a long shot at first glance, a look at the segment reveals that things are largely in a stagnant pause. Nikola is just now beginning deliveries of the Tre but the process is off to a slow start with Nikola only delivering 11 units to consumers in the month of April alone. As for Tesla, their electrified Tesla semi-truck is still in an odd limbo with the company confirming that deliveries of the truck will begin later this year after a series of delays.
While the Class 7 truck is not competing with those brutes, the situation in its actual slice of the market is largely the same with no production trucks equivalent to these Class 5, 6, and 7 trucks in production here in the U.S. This state of affairs would give Volta a prime opportunity to secure a solid foothold in the U.S. especially once the company has the chance to become firmly established in the country.
Will Take Calculated Approach To Rollout
A key part of Volta’s ongoing plans in Europe is that they are taking a calculated approach to the rollout of their EV fleet with the company recently confirming that its expanding its efforts to countries including England, Spain, and France. In the case of the U.S., it appears that the firm will follow the same basic script with the first Class 7 trucks arriving here being part of a 100-strong pilot fleet which will enter into customer evaluation setups in Los Angeles in the middle part of next year.
Volta will also use the time to begin the development of their service and maintenance operations in the U.S. with those facilities also following the core blueprint of what we have already seen in Europe. Volta will then use what they learned from these early evaluation trucks to help maximize their geographical reach in 2024/2025 when they will expand into other parts of the U.S. The range for the Class 5 and 6 trucks wasn’t released, but the company did reveal that the Class 7 truck can get between 95 and 125 miles of range between charges with battery setup and configuration playing a role in that front. The truck will also have the ability to haul up to 33,000 lbs of cargo while the smaller Class 5 and 6 trucks will boast hauling capabilities of 119,500 and 26,000 lbs respectively when they appear in 2024 and 2025.
Carl Malek has been an automotive journalist for over 10 years. First starting out as a freelance photographer before making the transition to writing during college, his work has appeared on numerous automotive forums as well as websites such as Autoshopper.com.
Carl is also a big fan of British vehicles with the bulk of his devotion going to the Morgan Motor Company as well as offerings from Lotus, MG, and Caterham. When he is not writing about automobiles, Carl enjoys spending time with his family and friends in the Metro Detroit area, as well as spending time with his adorable pets.