Volta Trucks, an Anglo-Swedish developer in all-electric commercial vehicles, has completed testing in hot weather conditions for its battery-powered Volta Zero van. 

Volta says its six week program was designed to test the Volta Zero’s reliability and durability ahead of its production in early 2023. 

Testing was delivered at the purpose-built Nardo Technical Centre in Southern Italy, where the Volta Zero completed more than 1,553 miles (2,500Km) of ‘customer-focused’ driving cycles at motorway, town and city speeds. 

Undertaken in temperatures of up to 39°C during the day, and 28°C at night, Volta Trucks claims its Volta Zero’s air conditioning system and thermal management of the battery and powertrain have been “fully evaluated and pushed to the extremes” to ensure “optimum reliability.” 

Volta also subjected the all-electric van to dusty surfaces to test its suspension, steering, traction control and braking system, which it claims were done beyond the expected limit of the Volta Zero’s “natural urban surroundings”. 

Ian Collins, Chief Product Officer of Volta Trucks, said: “The completion of our hot weather testing programme marks another important milestone in the development and delivery of the Volta Zero. 

“The testing allows our engineers to incorporate their latest findings in the series production of customer specification vehicles, ensuring the Volta Zero will deliver a reliable and durable experience for future customers.”

It comes following the competition of Volta’s winter programme back in March, which involved testing in temperatures as low as -30°C.

The Volta Zero houses either a 150kWh or 225kWh battery, and can deliver a range of between 90 and 125 miles. Pricing has yet to be announced for the UK, though it can be pre-order on Volta Truck’s website, ahead of deliveries in 2023.