Electric truck company Volta Truck, founded in 2019 in Sweden, said it has decided to file for bankruptcy in its country. The decision is related to the August announcement of bankruptcy by battery supplier Proterra.
In a special statement, Volta said the supplier’s decision “had a significant impact (…) on production plans, reducing expected vehicle production.” Additionally, “uncertainty” regarding the battery supplier made it difficult to obtain funds from potential investors. Moreover, since the Swedish company operates in Great Britain, it announced that it will soon file for bankruptcy also in the UK.
According to Reuters, the truck manufacturer collected approximately EUR 300 million from investors. Additionally, the manufacturer reported orders for a total of over 5,000. vehicles. At the plant located in Steyr, Austria, the company worked on starting mass production.
Just a few months ago, the manufacturer’s electric truck, the Zero model, received EU approval. The model was to be available with two battery packs – with a capacity of 150 and 225 kWh. According to the manufacturer, this was supposed to allow for a driving range of 150 to 200 km.
The most interesting issue related to the new electric truck was the seating arrangement in the cabin. The driver was supposed to sit in the middle. Two passengers could sit to the left and right of the driver on seats pushed back.
The company explained that the central location of the driver’s seat would have a positive impact on safety. Moreover, according to Volta Trucks representatives, it improves visibility from the vehicle. The Zero was intended to be a truck driven mainly in cities, which means the driver would have to squeeze through narrow streets. Sitting in the middle, he would have an equally good view of the entire car, which would make it easier to assess the distance and spot any obstacles. Moreover, the driver can get out both on the left and on the right.
However, an electric truck with a steering wheel in the middle is not new. Another well-known vehicle that introduced such a solution is the Tesla Semi. However, this was met with considerable criticism. A Polish professional driver took a close look at the model and listed a list of its flaws and problems that result from the location of the steering wheel in the middle. He pointed out, among other things, that such an arrangement of seats was a waste of space. Although not all comments also apply to the Zero model, it is undoubtedly not easy to collect, for example, a parking ticket in both trucks.
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2023-10-18 20:37:41
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