Electric commercial vehicle manufacturer Volta Trucks is growing its research and development capabilities in the UK with the implementation of an ambitious recruitment drive. This will help it to speed up the development of the Volta Zero, its first fully electric 16-metric ton CV, for which production is scheduled to start by the end of next year.
Having started 2021 with only a handful of team members, headcount is now more than 150. The growing team of R&D specialists are based near Reading in a flexible office space. The goal is to have more than 280 employees by the end of 2021. Over 70 open positions are currently advertised online at www.voltatrucks.com/careers and additional roles are being frequently added.
The announcement follows news from the company that it has delivered a fleet of prototype Volta Zeros for evaluation with customers in London, UK, and Paris, France, by mid-2022. Prototypes are also being assessed at vehicle testing facilities within the UK.
Essa Al-Saleh, CEO at Volta Trucks, said, “As a nimble and agile startup organization, in 2020 and 2021, we designed and developed the Volta Zero demonstrator vehicle, introduced it to the marketplace, took it on a six-center European roadshow, and took thousands of pre-orders for trucks, all with a small team working remotely through the pandemic. We now have a UK home for our engineers, close to where our pilot fleet vehicles will soon operate with customers in London.
“The UK also has a long history of engineering excellence, and this has already proven to be a great source of talent for us, but we now need to accelerate the growth of the company. With our innovative product and groundbreaking approach to customers and vehicle ownership, we are looking for the brightest, forward-thinking and entrepreneurial experts to join the Volta Trucks team and help us on our journey toward a safer and more sustainable future for commercial vehicles.”
Other projects are also underway at the Reading tech facility including the forthcoming 7.5, 12 and 19-metric ton variants.