DB Schenker announces new partnership with Volta Trucks to accelerate the transition to all-electric urban vehicle fleet

DB Schenker, a logistics service provider in European land transport, and Volta Trucks, a full-electric commercial vehicle manufacturer and services provider, are partnering and pre-ordering nearly 1,500 full-electric Volta Zero vehicles, the most significant order for large zero-emission trucks in Europe to date.

“We have many challenges to overcome on the road to carbon neutrality,” says Executive Vice President Land Transport at DB Schenker Cyrille Bonjean. “The large-scale partnership with Volta Trucks allows us to significantly increase the pace of electrification of our fleet and invest in greener transport solutions, brings us closer again to our goal of carbon neutral logistics.”

“I am delighted to welcome DB Schenker as a Volta Trucks customer,” says Volta Trucks CEO Essa Al-Saleh. “Working with DB Schenker on Europe’s largest full-electric truck order demonstrates the confidence that major freight distributors have in our ability to deliver a world-class zero-emission vehicle on time and to the highest possible quality.”

As part of the partnership, DB Schenker will use the first prototype of Volta Zero Trucks in real distribution conditions in spring and summer of 2022. The findings from these tests will be incorporated into the serial production of 1,470 vehicles built at Volta Trucks’ new contract manufacturing facility in Steyr, Austria.

The full-electric 16-ton Volta Zero is 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, safety-oriented cab to protect vulnerable road users, and zero-emission drivetrain offer the greatest benefits. Together, DB Schenker and Volta Trucks will explore the potential uses of the technology to potentially expand the offering. The rollout will begin at 10 locations in 5 countries.

The partnership will also jointly develop specifications for the previously announced 12-ton Volta Zero variant, conducting site testing to accelerate vehicle deployment of vehicles, and train drivers.