Volta
Zero

It’s a rare occurrence to get the opportunity to rethink and develop an all new vehicle from the ground up, but that’s what happened when we joined forces with the Swedish start-up Volta Trucks, designing the Volta Zero - the world’s first, purpose built, full electric truck.

Being fully electric, we were able to completely rethink how the truck was designed. Placing the batteries and powertrain in the ladder chassis underneath the body, gave us a clean sheet of paper for the layout and design of the cabin.

Our main priorities when designing the truck were safety, ease of ingress/egress and a best in class driver environment. Created specifically as an inner-city distribution vehicle, Volta Zero has been designed with a driver centric approach to make the vehicle safer for drivers as well as vulnerable road users - pedestrians and cyclists.

The driver sits in a central driving position, and in a lowered position, to optimise eye height at 1.8m from the ground and to maximise direct visibility.

Symmetrical rear sliding doors allows easy access in-and-out of either side of the cab.

As a part of the urban environment it was important to give the Volta Zero a friendly and approachable character.

The unique V shape DRL light signature being a key feature.

The aerodynamic and iconic silhouette, simplicity of the overall volume, combined with clean, sculptural surfaces and precise details emphasise the trucks futuristic design.

The dynamic angle between cab and body helps to visually communicate a large payload but also allows for maximum direct visibility for the driver.

We developed the interior design around a highly functional, central driver-centric layout, with 3 touchscreens combined with an integral steering wheel HMI.

Nothing is arbitrary; the uncluttered IP allows excellent ergonomic access to all the controls. The screens only display the information needed at any one time, reducing cognitive overload for the driver.

The design is simple and bold, to aide ease of cleanliness surfaces are seamless and essential.

‘Where technology meets nature’ was also our guiding principle inside the cabin; natural materials including wool and natural fibre sit alongside the technological touchscreen displays.

The design of the truck was refined through a thorough design process, starting from 2D sketches and renderings, 3D CAD models evaluated in VR, full scale ergonomic mock-ups, and a final class A surface model for the design freeze.

Subsequently we worked through the engineering phase, parts split plus defining all the B surface and attachment strategies for all the visible parts.

We then co-ordinated with suppliers and manufacturers to get the parts made.

On completion of the demonstrator vehicle, we helped with the production of imagery and vehicle renderings for use in the launch communications.

To deliver the functionality of the custom lighting and HMI, we designed and produced our own bespoke code, electronics and circuit boards which were integrated into the main electrical architecture.

We go the extra mile in designing each and every detail of the prototype to ensure the ease and efficiency of the vehicle build. This requires a thorough build strategy where each part’s fixing strategy, material, and manufacturing process is carefully considered.

To find out more about Volta please
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