Swedish startup Volta Trucks has launched an electric 16-tonne truck featuring a cab with large expanses of glass to offer safer and less polluting freight distribution in city centres.
Billed a "world first" by its developers, the Volta Zero vehicle was developed in collaboration with Warwick-based design consultancy Astheimer.
Volta Trucks and Astheimer have designed a fully electric, 16-tonne truck
As well as avoiding emissions, the Volta Zero is designed to be safer than current city-based commercial vehicles for both pedestrians and other road users.
By choosing an electric powertrain, the designers were able to place the batteries in the chassis, freeing up space and allowing the designers to create a truck centred around the driver. The central position of the driver's seat and its low height both work to eliminate blind spots and expand the driver's direct vision.
The truck features wide stretches of glass to maximise the driver's view
"The driver has a wide 220 degrees of direct vision around the vehicle," the designers explained. "This panoramic view of the surroundings through a glasshouse-style cab delivers a Transport for London five-star Direct Vision Standard rating for optimum visibility."
"The driver sits in a low and central position, eliminating blind spots, and mirroring the eye-line of nearby pedestrians and other vulnerable road users for easy visual communication," they continued.

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