The full-electric Volta Zero will be manufactured by Steyr Automotive, formerly MAN Truck and Bus Austria, the company has announced.

The announcement follows a wide-ranging competitive tender process with potential suppliers throughout Europe. According to Volta, Steyr Automotive were appointed based on their extensive experience of commercial vehicle manufacturing, existing manufacturing infrastructure and consequent speed to market.

Series production will start in late 2022, following customer trials of Pilot Fleet vehicles that will commence mid-next year.

Over time, the contract will create up to 500 jobs in the region in addition to an estimated 2000 positions within the supply chain.

The confirmation of the manufacturing partner forms an integral part of the Volta Trucks Road-to-Zero Emissions strategy, released in May 2021. The strategy sees four Volta Zero models ranging from 7.5 to 19 tonnes, with more than 27,000 units built per year by 2025.

“The partnership with Steyr Automotive marks a significant milestone for Volta Trucks, and one of the important milestones ahead of us starting to build full electric trucks by the end of 2022,” said Kjell Waloen, co-founder and chief technology officer at Volta Trucks.

“The team at Steyr Automotive has demonstrable capability to manufacture the Volta Zero with decades of previous premium truck-building experience,” he said.

“Building our trucks in Austria, in the heart of our European launch region, will accelerate our time to market and minimise the environmental footprint of our operations, supporting our sustainability ambitions – a key factor in our decision-making process.

“The partnership will now allow Volta Trucks to quickly ramp up our production as we look to meet the demands of our customers who need to replace their fleets with zero-emission vehicles as soon as possible.”