Voltempo is developing an autonomous 15.6-meter electric truck without a cab

Image: Voltempo

The British electric vehicle specialist Voltempo is developing a fully battery-powered, autonomous truck without a cab. According to the plans released so far, this model designed as a single unit is intended to be 15.6 meters long, have five axles, and be rated for a total weight of 42 tons.

Voltempo refers to this approach as a “Smart Trailer”: instead of a conventional tractor with a driver’s seat, as much of the vehicle as possible is meant to be used for cargo transport. According to publicly available information, no functional prototype currently exists.

By eliminating the driver’s cab, Voltempo expects significant advantages in terms of curb weight, payload capacity, and cargo volume. According to the company, the electric vehicle is expected to weigh around 10 to 12 tons empty and offer about 15 percent more cargo space as well as an additional 5 to 7 tons of payload compared to a conventional counterpart. No details have been released yet regarding the battery size, range, engine power, or charging capacity of the planned truck.

Delivery possible starting in 2028

Voltempo plans to complete the first prototype by a contractor by 2027, followed by testing at an autonomous vehicle test site in South Wales. The electric drive system is set to be supplied by a well-known commercial vehicle manufacturer. The first production vehicles are targeted for 2028 according to the currently communicated timeline. Production is expected to begin in the United Kingdom, with the European continent to follow.

Voltempo is initially focusing on regularly recurring hub-to-hub deliveries as well as shuttle services between ports, intermodal terminals, manufacturing sites, and logistics centers. This priority is based on the findings of the eFreight Autonomous Consortium led by Voltempo, which identified hub-to-hub trucking and intermodal shuttle services as suitable early application areas for autonomous heavy-duty vehicles in the UK after a nine-month study.

Voltempo founder Michael Boxwell told Autocar that the first vehicles are expected to be deployed on fixed routes, which must first be approved by local authorities. He believes the number of routes will increase if the initial trials prove successful.

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About the Author

Thomas Langenbucher is an expert in electromobility with professional experience in the automotive industry and finance sector. Since 2011, he has been covering electric vehicles, sustainable technologies, and mobility solutions for ecomento.de. Learn more.

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