Metro Germany opts for Volta Zero electric trucks
Wholesaler Metro has opted for electric trucks from Sweden’s Volta to join the fleet in Germany in 2023. Five 16-tonne Volta Zero vehicles are scheduled to arrive later this year to be deployed at four Metro locations.
The first Zero by Volta Trucks will go into service at Metro depot in Neuss, North Rhine-Westphalia, from August. In the fourth quarter, Metro locations in Bavaria and Berlin will also take the Volta Zero into service.
Regarding the vehicle itself, Metro opted for a configuration with a two-chamber refrigerated system, explained Frank Jäniche, Managing Director Sales at Metro Germany. This was to “ensure strict cooling of the products and also offer a manoeuvrable and safe driving experience, especially in inner-city traffic”. He added that the large loading area should make it easier for Metro to deliver to its major customers in the food service sector.
The ground-up design further features a low cabin, which provides the driver with 220 degrees of direct vision, with all-around visibility possible thanks to additional camera technology, putting the driver at eye-level with pedestrians and cyclists, helping to reduce the risk of collisions, adds Volta Trucks. The given operating range is 150 to 200 km (95 – 125 miles).
Metro Germany is part of the international Metro Group and operates 102 wholesale stores and eleven delivery depots in Germany. With the use of the e-trucks, Metro Germany plans to sustainably expand its delivery fleet. The company considers Volta Trucks “the ideal partner to start a more sustainable truck fleet, which Metro Germany is aiming for in the long term,” according to Martin Schumacher, CEO of Metro Germany.
Founded in Sweden in 2019, Volta Trucks has Steyr Automotive manufacturing the Volta Zero in Steyr, Austria, since April 2023. The company has also established a network of ‘Volta Trucks Hubs’ to provide service and maintenance in its launch markets, with the first four already announced in Bonneuil-sur-Marne, to the south of Paris, in Tottenham, London, Duisburg, to the west of the Rhine-Ruhr region in Germany, and in Madrid, Spain. The company is reportedly prpearing for US market entry with customer trial to get underway this year.
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