Electric commercial vehicle company Volta Trucks says the new Volta Zero’s cab has been specifically designed to enhance the safety of the driver and other vulnerable road users.

The removal of a traditional internal combustion engine has allowed the electric truck maker to radically overhaul the cab’s design.

The driver of a Volta Zero sits in a central driving position with a wide 220-degrees of direct vision around the vehicle.

The panoramic view through a glasshouse-style cab is designed to deliver against the five-star Direct Vision Standard (DVS) rating for optimum visibility and the reduction of blind spots.

Driving safety and visibility is also enhanced by the use of rear-view cameras that replace traditional mirrors, a 360-degree birds-eye camera showing the driver their complete surroundings, and blind-sport warning systems that detects objects on the vulnerable sides of the vehicle.

Carl-Magnus Norden, founder of Volta Trucks, explained: “Safety is at the heart of the Volta brand for one simple reason. In London, as an example, 23% of pedestrian fatalities and 58% of cyclist deaths involve an HGV, yet large trucks only account for 4% of road miles. This is clearly unacceptable and must change.

“The Volta Zero completely reimagines the commercial vehicle, ensuring it can operate safely with all road users and become a friend of the zero-emission city.”

Thanks to the removal of the internal combustion engine, the driver of a Volta Zero sits far lower than in a conventional truck, with their eye-line at around 1.8 meters.

This mirrors the height of pedestrians and other road users in close proximity for easy visual communication.

On top of the safety benefits delivered by the Volta Zero’s design, it will also offer the latest Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), say the electric truck maker.

The driver of a Volta Zero will benefit from technologies such as Active Steering, Road Sign Assist, and Reversing Assistant with reversing camera, as well as Lane Change Assist and Lane Departure Warning system.

The vehicle’s operator also benefits from a technical status monitoring system, based on artificial intelligence, which Volta says will help avoid breakdowns and maximises the uptime of the vehicle.

Fowler said: “We have created the full-electric Volta Zero as a direct response to the crucial issues that face our metropolitan areas.

“Trucks must operate in cities for commerce to exist and livelihoods to be maintained, but it cannot be acceptable that they cause damage to the environment they operate in and harm to the people around them.

“Unlike today’s large trucks that dominate their surroundings, by design, the Volta Zero supports the driver with the broadest visibility and latest safety technology, as well as a comfortable and easy-to-use working environment in the cab. This all ensures that the Volta Zero will operate cleanly and safely in the world’s city centres, happily coexisting and operating alongside all other road users.”

The Volta Zero is a purpose-built fully electric 16-tonne vehicle designed for inner-city freight deliveries, reducing the environmental impact of freight deliveries in city centres.

Designed from the ground up with an operating pure-electric range of 150 - 200 kms (95 – 125 miles), the Volta Zero will be launched later in 2020, with the first pilot test vehicles due to start evaluation with customers in Q1-2021.

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