Last month, we wrapped up our trial of the Volta Zero, an all-electric HGV that's set to revolutionise logistics and deliveries. This vehicle promises to reshape the industry with its eco-friendly technology and innovative design.
To give you a closer look at what it’s like to drive the Volta Zero, we spoke with Jake, one of the drivers who participated in the trial. Jake shared his insights and experiences, providing a first-hand account of the vehicle's performance, handling, and impact on his daily routine.
What benefits do you think the Volta Zero has compared to other large HGVs?
“The turning circle is amazing on it. You can get into any street you need to without any issues. It's easier to get down narrow streets, especially around Oxford. The access is amazing. The turning circle, you could probably turn it on a 50 pence a piece. It's so good. The driving experience is so comfortable and quiet because obviously, it's fully electric. With diesels, you just get noise the whole time. But this is just so peaceful”
How do you find the position of the driving seat, obviously the fact that you are sitting in the middle?
“That was weird at first. The guy who was teaching me was like, you have to keep looking in your mirrors because you'll drift to the right and I was like, why do I drift to the right? Surely I drift to the left because I'm in the middle. But no, you do literally drift over to the right because you're used to being in the right hand drive. You're automatically thinking, oh, I need to be further over. But once you get used to it, it's second nature.”
Do you find the cameras on either side help?
“Absolutely amazing. They're so much better than normal mirrors. I don't know
why people would buy trucks without them now because obviously you can get these cameras on normal HGVs. I don't know why they'd buy them without them. So this is definitely the future.”
How do you feel about being able to trial this next generation of vehicles?
“I was actually really excited, a bit nervous because obviously it's an expensive vehicle but it's so much easier to drive and the camera used for the field of vision compared to conventional mirrors is so much better but like I said, I don't know why people buy them without them now you can actually get them with the cameras.“
What benefits did you find in being able to enter and exit the cab on either side?
“I wasn't used to it. I kept getting out the driver's side and I was thinking, hold on a minute, I can get out the other way now I'm used to it when going down a busy path, like Cowley Road.”
You already mentioned the manoeuvrability in terms of the turning circle. Is that one of the key benefits?
“I used to drive the bin lorries and they were so good at turning and getting into spaces because they had rear wheel drive. So the steering axle at the back turned as well. This one is just the front, but I don't know what they've done to it, but it literally just spins. So if I go up there, I can spin around straight away without having to reverse.”
What are your thoughts on the range?
“The range is better than I thought it would be. A lot better than I thought it would be. I thought once it's fully loaded, I think it's six and a half tons. I thought the mileage would just drop, drop, drop, but it doesn't. It is really good, especially for what we do in local areas. It's perfect. “
Accessibility to charge? You've not been able to charge it anywhere externally other than the depot?
“No, but I haven't tried. I think there probably are places, because it's quite low, it's a lot
lower than the normal HGVs. So I think you could probably actually get into places to
charge it.”
You've had to charge it on a horizontal angle, haven't you?
“Yeah because of the length of the cable. Or you can reverse it. If you reverse it, you can
reach the cable to the side. So it's not actually as bad as we first thought it would be but it's having the space to do it, especially at public sites.”
How is loading and unloading the two and a half tonne tail lift?
“That's amazing. Like so much better. On the normal ones that we've got, I can fit one pallet on and that's it. On this one, I can literally put one pallet next to another and I've had two deliveries where it was two pallets of slabs, put them both on the tail lift and it didn't budge. That was so much better because normally you have to put one on, go down and get the other one, put it on and go back down again. This now, you put the two on, go down and you don't have to worry about going back up so it's quicker. It's a bigger tail lift and it obviously takes more.”
You mentioned in terms of you getting out of the vehicle, it was safer. What
about pedestrian visibility and for other road users?
“Yeah, I don't think there's any issue with that at all. I can see nearly everything that's around me because the visibility is so much better. So I've got that rear view camera, I've got one that goes on the screen and I've obviously got the two side ones. There's probably a minimal blind spot and that's it.”
So that side of it in terms of safety for you and for pedestrians and other road users is better too. What about in terms of security measures?
So obviously at the minute, because it's the prototype version, you can't lock it when it's charging. It has to be left on, which is all right in the area we are, but if obviously if you
go to a more dangerous area or more compact area, the lights are all on when you're
charging it. So if you leave it overnight, it's all lit up. But it’s the prototype so it will probably change.”
Any difference on your walk around checks?
“Yes. It's harder because obviously there's so much more that you have to check but it's not gonna take much longer than you normally have to do on that anyway.”
What would you say you most like about driving the Volta Zero?
“How comfy it is and the smooth ride you get. Obviously it's electric, it has a lot more torque in it. When you're pulling off, if you've got to get out onto a dual carriageway, it just goes. So you don't end up holding people up. You can literally put your foot down and it's gone, it moves more. Even when it's fully loaded.”
Next question is, do you want us to buy one?
“Yes, I do.”
You'd like Darcica Logistics to own a fleet of Volta Zeros?
“Yes. Although I think some of the other drivers might have a bit of a question about that. But once they get used to it, they'll all agree with me. I think it's the future generation for the way the logistics industry is going. Some might just be like, oh no, I don't like change. But I think even when they get in it, if they were driving it constantly, they'd love it.
The only thing with this one, is obviously because it's a box, it's harder to load certain pallets on, so you can only put them on. They're looking at different curtain side options, it would be tailored to whatever our needs are for our logistics and our pallet deliveries. “
We’re excited for the future of sustainable logistics and our journey to Net Zero is always at the forefront of our day-to-day business. If you’re looking for sustainable logistics solutions, contact us today to talk about your requirements.
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