Volta Trucks partners with HERE Technologies to deliver a tailored last−mile electric vehicle navigation system featuring what3words
Volta Trucks, the leading and disruptive full-electric commercial vehicle manufacturer and services provider, has confirmed that the forthcoming Volta Zero will feature integrated navigation services from HERE Technologies, the leading location data and technology platform. The Volta Zero will use EV Range Assistant, a feature from HERE tailored for inner-city deliveries. It includes range prediction for trucks on route and allows for route planning including multiple delivery stops. Search, routing, real-time traffic, and turn-by-turn voice guidance will be available both on- and off-line.
HERE Navigation allows Volta Trucks to take advantage of the navigation-as-a-service model to deliver a simplified infotainment supply chain and development process. The benefits include lowering costs, improving scalability, and allows Volta Trucks to deliver a unique In-Vehicle Infotainment (IVI) system that can be remotely configured and monitored by customers, making it possible to consistently update and upgrade the driver experience. Secure data transfer between the truck and cloud enhances driver safety and privacy, while also accessing the latest map data via streaming.
With HERE Navigation, drivers will be able to use innovative geolocation technology, what3words. what3words is a simple way to identify a location in a manner that is more precise than a street address. what3words has divided the world into a grid of three-metre squares and given each square a unique combination of three random words: a what3words address. Drivers can enter what3words addresses directly into their in-truck systems, allowing them to easily navigate to locations as specific as building entrances or loading bays – ideal for busy drivers making multiple deliveries in a city.
Ian Collins, Chief Product Officer of Volta Trucks, said; “I’m delighted to confirm HERE as the provider of our navigation system for the Volta Zero, including the integration of what3words. HERE Technologies is another world-class partner for Volta Trucks, delivering the full features of embedded navigation but with the user experience of a mobile navigation application. With HERE Navigation, we can provide innovative and differentiated experiences to our drivers while simplifying our supply chain – a key benefit supporting our accelerated route to market”.
“We are pleased to be putting the long experience gained working with leading OEMs to good use by helping Volta Trucks offer the best navigation experience to its truck drivers. Navigating 16-ton trucks within city centres is a challenge in itself – with our truck attributes and our EV range calculator, Volta Zero drivers can focus on what matters the most – the road ahead,” concluded Gino Ferru, General Manager EMEAR and Senior Vice President at HERE Technologies.
Editor’s notes.
About the Volta Zero.
The Volta Zero is the world’s first purpose-built full-electric 16-tonne vehicle designed for urban logistics, reducing the environmental impact of freight deliveries in city centres. Designed from the ground up with an operating pure-electric range of 150 – 200 kms (95 – 125 miles), the Volta Zero will eliminate an estimated 1.2M tonnes of CO2 by 2025.
Safety is also at the heart of Volta Trucks, with its ambition of producing the safest trucks for our cities. The Volta Zero was designed for electric from the outset, which facilitates a step-change in vehicle, driver and pedestrian safety. Thanks to the removal of the internal combustion engine, the operator of a Volta Zero sits in a central driving position, with a much lower seat height than a conventional truck. This combination, plus a glass house-style cab design, gives the driver a wide 220-degrees of visibility, minimising dangerous blind spots. The prototype Volta Zero was launched in September 2020, with the first vehicles expected to be operating with customers in mid-2022.
In November 2021, Volta Trucks announced Europe’s largest purchase of full-electric trucks with DB Schenker’s order of 1,470 vehicles. This followed Petit Forestier’s order of 1,000 Volta Zeros. Volta Trucks now has a total order bank of around 4,500 vehicles, with an order bank value of circa €1 billion.
About Volta Trucks.
Volta Trucks is a scale-up full-electric commercial vehicle manufacturer and services company. Volta Trucks’ Head Office is in Stockholm, Sweden, with its engineering led from the UK, and forthcoming manufacturing facility in Steyr, Austria. The company also has sales teams across France, Spain, Italy, Germany, and the UK. Volta Trucks is partnering with a number of global leaders in the supply chain for the development and production of the Volta Zero.
About HERE Technologies
HERE, the leading location data and technology platform, moves people, businesses and cities forward by harnessing the power of location. By leveraging our open platform, we empower our customers to achieve better outcomes – from helping a city manage its infrastructure or a business optimize its assets to guiding drivers to their destination safely. To learn more about HERE, please visit www.here.com and http://360.here.com.
About what3words
Co-founded in London in 2013 by Chris Sheldrick, what3words is the simplest way to talk about location. The system covers the entire world, never needs updating, and works offline. A what3words address is a human-friendly way to share very precise locations with other people, or to input them into platforms and machines such as ride-hailing apps or e-commerce checkouts. It is optimised for voice input and contains built-in error prevention to immediately identify and correct input mistakes.
The free what3words app, available for iOS and Android, and the online map enable people to find, share and navigate to what3words addresses in 50 languages to date. Millions of what3words addresses are in use around the world, with thousands of businesses using them to save money, be more efficient and provide a better customer experience.
what3words is integrated into apps, platforms and websites, with just a few lines of code. Products are available for free or for a nominal fee for qualifying NGOs. Its partners include Mercedes-Benz, Triumph Motorcycles, Premier Inn, the AA and many emergency services across the world.
what3words has a team of over 100 people, across offices in the UK, USA, Germany and Mongolia. The company has raised over £100 million in capital from investors such as Intel, Aramex, Deutsche Bahn, Subaru and Sony Innovation Fund.