All Electric HGV Gains Another Technological Ally in its Bid to Clean Up

EUROPE – US – We have been following development of the Volta Zero, claimed to be the world's first purpose-built full-electric 16-tonne commercial vehicle created specifically for city centre freight distribution, for some months.

Now it seems, if you are going to try and revolutionise, sorry ‘disrupt’, a traditional market you need to ensure all the newest technological bells and whistles are tied into your product. To provide the finer details now found on the latest commercial vehicles, maker Volta Trucks has partnered up with Silicon Valley based Sibros, a provider of ‘deep Over-the-Air (OTA) connected vehicle systems’.

The partnership will provide end-to-end software and data solutions that begin with the integration of the Sibros OTA Deep Logger to provide Volta Trucks with real time, relevant, vehicle and fleet data management that the pair claim will position the battery powered truck maker at what it calls the centre of a new era for smart transportation.

The connected vehicle platform will allow customers access to driver alerts, charging infrastructure, over-the-air updates for navigation and content as well as service, insurance, and maintenance data. This should increase productivity and bring efficiency and profitability to its customers’ businesses. It will provide Volta Trucks with full transparency and control over what data is collected and who it’s shared with, enabling customers to benefit from, and better understand, their particular data. Hemant Sikaria, CEO and Co-Founder of Sibros, observed:

“We are thrilled to partner with Volta Trucks to accelerate the development of their connected platform for vehicles and fleets. They are bringing some of the most visually stunning and innovative electric vehicles to market with a world class team that combines new age thinking with classic OEM expertise. OTA software updates, data management and analysis are all crucial components in bringing customised, safe and sustainable vehicles to the world.”

Volta is a truly European company, with offices in Sweden, France and the UK, and has shopped around the globe to obtain suitable suppliers for the range of component parts necessary to bring the Zero to market. Safety and sustainability have been the main criteria and the ergonomic design, for both the centrally seated driver, and for other road users make this a potential winner on all fronts. Ian Collins, Chief Product Officer of Volta Trucks concludes:

“This partnership is a natural step for Volta Trucks. We will now be able to perform remote diagnostics and data analysis for use towards our ambition of zero downtime and better operational efficiency for our partners and customers. We are confident that working closely with Sibros will enable us to revolutionise last-mile logistics and allow us to easily expand and scale our business, while concentrating on our goal of being the safest large commercial vehicle manufacturer.”