Here we are. Swedish start-up Volta Trucks has unveiled the final design of its Volta Zero e, the world’s first purpose-built full-electric 16-tonne commercial vehicle, specifically created for inner-city logistics.
The unveiling of the Volta Zero’s final design, created by partner, Astheimer Design in Warwick, UK, bears a close visual relationship to the original demonstrator vehicle, with its modern appearance and packaging. The final design also confirms that the revolutionary cab and premium working environment for drivers, with its low, central seating position to improve visibility and safety, will be maintained through to production.
Ian Collins, Chief Product Officer of Volta Trucks, said: «When the Volta Zero was revealed in September 2020, there were some who thought that its revolutionary, world-first design and packaging was just for show, and could never be built for production. We knew it wouldn’t be easy, but our constant motivation was the opportunity that a completely reimagined truck had to improve both the safety of drivers, and those vulnerable road users around large trucks operating in city centres. Working in close collaboration with Astheimer’s design team and our engineers, we have delivered a modern, progressive, and elegant design – exactly as an electric vehicle conceived from the ground up should be. The production-ready Volta Zero delivers a paradigm shift in commercial vehicle safety and sustainability, and I look forward to seeing the vehicles on the road early next year as our rigorous testing programme starts».
Production of the first 25 prototypes with the final design is to begin shortly.
First purpose-built full-electric 16-tonne commercial vehicle
Here is the first Toyota model conceived to be 100% electric
It is very recent the world preview of the new bZ4X, the first model of the new bZ – beyond Zero – family of battery electric vehicles (BEV), jointly developed by Toyota and Subaru.
bZ4X with front-wheel drive is powered by a high-efficiency 150 kW electric motor.
It produces 204 HP and 265 Nm of torque, permitting a 0-100 km/h acceleration in 8.4 seconds and a maximum speed of 160 km/h. The all-wheel drive model (further details hereunder) has a maximum power of 217.5 HP with 336 Nm of torque; the maximum speed is unchanged whereas the acceleration at 100 km/h is decreased to 7.7 seconds.
It is also the first car manufactured on the new e-TNGA platform, proposed by Toyota for BEV vehicles. Making the battery pack integral part of the frame, under the vehicle floor, you can achieve fundamental advantages: bZ4X is a spacious comfortable SUV, available with a new all-wheel drive system that offers handiness and off-road performances of absolute level, with separate electric motors for each axle.
The battery has been designed to maintain 90% of its original performances after 10 years of service life and, with a completely charged battery, the expected autonomy exceeds 450 km.
Electric motor’s factory: safe collaboration between men and robots
In view of the productivity rise, Sick company releases news about the safe and “pacific” cohabitation of people and robots during the assembly of electric motors.
The process is as simple as the underlying technology is sophisticated: a robot picks up the electric motors on the conveyor belt and makes them available for the operator for further machining. Therefore, the operator positions a wire structure on the electric motor and the robot repositions the piece in its own place on the conveyor belt. Thus, the robot acts as flexible production assistant that facilitates the operator’s work during ergonomically unfavourable sequences of manual activities. The tools that enable this sequence include microScan3 safety scanner lasers Flexi Softn safety control unit. Particularly outstanding is the innovative safeHDDM™ scanning technology that features high immunity concerning the environment light and dust.
The future of flying cars
It is scheduled for 2028 the inauguration of Volar Antelope, a vehicle astride car, helicopter and aircraft featuring the look of a futuristicFormula 1 car. The plane, conceived by the British company Bellwether Industries and whose prototype was presented at the last edition of Dubai Airshow, will be able to fly up to almost one kilometre of height and travel in the sky at a speed of 220 kilometres per hour.
Volar Antelope joins the projects that complete the new category of emerging vehicles called eVTOL (Electric vertical take-off and landing): they operate thanks to electric motors and they can take off and land vertically like helicopters. As a matter of fact, under the bodywork the eVTOL should be equipped with ducted electric rotors.
The compact tractor with hybrid-electric propulsion
The development of new hybrid motors for Antonio Carraro compact tractors is framed by full title in the ambit of energy saving projects in the sector of NRMM – Non-Road Mobile Machinery. Behind the SRX Hybrid project there is the AC Research&Development division, in synergy with Ecothea, start-up of Turin Polytechnics specialized in the design and prototyping of electric vehicles for applications on agricultural machines.
Hybrid and electrified propulsion systems are concretely proving their validity in contributing in reducing the emissions of polluting substances and in improving work performances. Overall efficiencies are in fact higher due to a very precise control of the power supply.
SRX Hybrid is a compact vehicle, equipped with all comforts and with a thermal 55kW motor (3 cylinders; cc1861; liquid cooled; injection Common Rail Turbo Intercooler) combined with an electric 20kW motor for 75kW overall, corresponding to 102hp.
The architecture of the hybrid-electric system ideated by the collaboration between Antonio Carraro Spa and Ecothea first of all allows exploiting at best the available power of a diesel motor combined with an electric propulsion, assuring constant traction in machining, in transports and in material handling activities.
The innovative transmission architecture, with the introduction of the electric motor between diesel powertrain and gearbox, has been registered with ACHybrid industrial patent.
Featuring design and electric: here is the car of the Year 2021
Fully designed in Turin in the headquarters of Icona Design Group for Micro Mobility Systems AG, the new electric car Microlino 2.0 represents the ideal mix between car and bike.
Also for this reason it has recently obtained the Good Design® Award 2021,too, and it was appointed Car of the Year 2021 by The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies.
Microlino is equipped with a single self-bearing structure that improves safety and drive behaviour and is made up by a light aluminium body with reinforced steel door and independent suspensions on all four wheels.
The two-seater car has a 25 hp motor and it is proposed in three versions: Urban with 6 kWh battery, Dolce with 10.5 kWh battery and Competizione with 14 kWh battery. Such versions will allow travelling 90, 170 and 230 km respectively.
The model will be manufactured in Italy and will be sold first in Switzerland and then in the other EU Countries, with a starting price of about 12,000 Euros.
Electric boat start-up Arc is ready for customer deliveries
After testing its prototype, Electric boat start-up Arc are now pre-producing last version of the Arc One, a 24-foot-long vessel with a massive battery pack and an elegant design. There are also VIPs among lenders’ names: the company has raised 30 million dollars coming from Will Smith and Kevin Durant, too.
For starters, the total battery capacity will be 10% larger than previously disclosed: now 220 kWh, or three times the capacity of a Tesla Model Y.
A new, more powerful motor will also be capable of putting out over 500 HP of power. And finally, the hull shape itself is evolving to unlock greater efficiency and more sporty handling.
The boat will still have a top speed of around 40 miles per hour and can last about four hours under power before needing to be recharged — which the start-up claims is plenty for a day out on the water.
The electric snowmobile that becomes a quod
It comes from Canada and it is a snowmobile but, if necessary, by mounting 4 wheels it can become a quad. It is called Taiga Atlas and its propulsor is a 120-horsepower electric permanent magnet motor. Its snowmobile frame with a sturdy front suspension and a rear tread system can together manage the acceleration from zero to 60 hourly miles in 2.9 seconds.
Protagonist of this latter frontier of snow vehicles is the motor known as “perma-mag“: light, powerful and with an estimated autonomy of around 100 kilometres.
Another great highlight? Obviously, silence: the rustle on the snow is not “polluted” by the motor’s noise and the mountains’ clean ait is not contaminated by emissions.
Zero-emission yacht
ZEN Yachts (acronym of Zero Emission Nautic), the new-born Malta manufacturer of electric boats, has recently announced to have received the first order of the electric ZEN50 catamaran, now under construction in Europe, in Barcelona.
Actually, the electric 12-passenger catamaran, over 15-metre long, joins sailing with the electric propulsion and is recharged by solar energy: it has a roof fully covered by solar panels, with 16 kW power peak. The yacht is equipped with two DC 40 kW motors powered by a 160-kWh lithium battery pack.
The electric motor-sail combination can drive ZEN50, which is totally self-sufficient from the energy point of view, to the maximum speed of 14 knots (26 km/h) and to a cruise speed of 6-10 knots (11-18.5 km/h).
ZEN50 can also be equipped with other zero-emission technologies such as a diving compressor, e-foil, electric jet boards and current water maker.
The new electric Suv Lotus is Eletre
It is brand-new the presentation of Eletre, the new SUV by Lotus, which should be available for the first European customers in 2023. It is a real epochal shift for the renowned brand of sports cars, but not of the first electrified model, role played by the hypercar Evija.
Concerning the technical specifications, Lotus declared that the car can boast over 600 HP of power granted by two electric motors, one in the front and one in the rear. Everything is powered by a battery exceeding 100 kWh, which ensures an autonomy of 600 km in the WLTP cycle.
The electric hyper-SUV performances are declared as 260 km/h of maximum speed and zero-one hundred hourly in less than 3 seconds.
Moreover, Eletre is equipped with various Lidar sensors that are exploited by the vehicle for its sophisticated drive assistance system, expected to be ready for the level 4 of autonomous guide.