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Voltempo Smart Trailer
Voltempo's driverless 15.6 m electric rigid is still a design: the prototype is due in September 2027 and first deliveries are planned for mid-2028. Voltempo claims 5 to 7 tonnes more payload than a tractor-trailer with no driver on board, but with no price, battery size, consumption or charging figure published it cannot yet be costed against a diesel — and at 15.6 m and 42 tonnes it needs a vehicle category that does not exist yet.
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General 7 / 19
| ModelVoltempo's working name, not yet a product name | Smart Trailer: cabless autonomous electric rigid truck (prototype in development) | ↗ ↗ ↗ |
|---|---|---|
| Vehicle typee.g. tractor, rigid | Battery-electric rigid truck without a cab, driverless | ↗ ↗ ↗ |
| Axle configurationWhich axles are driven is not published | Five axles | ↗ ↗ ↗ |
| Gross combination weightNot applicable: a rigid truck without a trailer; see gross vehicle weight | not published | |
| Gross vehicle weight42 tonnes as published. Today's usual limit for a rigid is 32 t on four axles (IAA article, Autocar) | 42000 kg | ↗ ↗ ↗ |
| Kerb weightVoltempo's design estimate, not a weighed vehicle; about 19 t for today's electric tractor-trailer, according to Voltempo | 10000–12000 kg | ↗ ↗ ↗ |
| PayloadNot published as a figure. Voltempo claims 5 to 7 t more usable payload than a tractor-trailer and an average load of about 18.6 t instead of 16 t | not published | |
| Payload if the Council position on 96/53/EC is adopted | not published | |
| Front / rear axle design load | not published | |
| Drive-axle load at maximum payload | not published | |
| Overall lengthAbout 1.5 m shorter than a full tractor-trailer; longer than the 12 m allowed today for a rigid truck in the UK | 15600 mm | ↗ ↗ ↗ |
| Overall width | not published | |
| Overall height | not published | |
| Wheelbase | not published | |
| Turning radius, minimum | not published | |
| Top speed | not published | |
| Suspension | not published | |
| Fifth wheel | not published | |
| Clean-sheet electric design or converted diesel platform | Clean sheet: designed from the start to run without a driver or cab; body by Berkeley Coachworks, electric driveline from an established truck maker that has not been named | ↗ ↗ ↗ |
Battery 0 / 9
| Battery capacity, installed (gross)Not published: electrive and trans.info report that no battery, range or charging details have been released | not published | |
|---|---|---|
| Battery capacity, usable | not published | |
| Cell chemistryLFP, NMC … | not published | |
| Cell supplier | not published | |
| System voltageNominal | not published | |
| Pack architecture | not published | |
| Battery life, ratedcycles / km / years | not published | |
| Operating temperature, battery and thermal system | not published | |
| Battery warranty | not published |
Range and energy 0 / 8
| Range, as claimedNot published | not published | |
|---|---|---|
| Range, favourable conditions | not published | |
| Range, real-world | not published | |
| Range test condition | not published | |
| Energy consumption | not published | |
| Test fleet mileage | not published | |
| Drag coefficient (Cd) | not published | |
| Regenerative braking, peak | not published |
Charging 0 / 6
| DC charge portsNot published | not published | |
|---|---|---|
| Max DC charge power | not published | |
| Charge time 20–80 % | not published | |
| Megawatt Charging System (MCS) | not published | |
| AC charging | not published | |
| Vehicle-to-grid / bidirectionalyes / no | not published |
Powertrain 0 / 7
| Motor layoutNot published; the electric driveline will come from an established truck maker that has not been named | not published | |
|---|---|---|
| Continuous power | not published | |
| Peak power | not published | |
| Peak torque | not published | |
| Transmission | not published | |
| Gradeability, maximum | not published | |
| Acceleration 0–80 km/h at GCW | not published |
Autonomous driving 2 / 12
| Level of automationSAE level not stated by Voltempo | Driverless: no cab and no driver on board | ↗ ↗ ↗ |
|---|---|---|
| Operational domainVoltempo's study names hub-to-hub motorway trunking and short shuttles between ports, rail terminals and distribution hubs as the first uses in the UK. Fleet News (15 May 2026): main roads only at first, partly at the request of the UK Department for Transport | Fixed routes, each approved by the local authorities first, extended step by step if they work | ↗ ↗ ↗ ↗ |
| Lidar sensorsNot published | not published | |
| Millimetre-wave radarsNot published | not published | |
| High-definition camerasNot published | not published | |
| Trucks one operator can supervise | not published | |
| Manoeuvring precision, autonomous docking | not published | |
| Obstacle detection, 360° | not published | |
| Predictive emergency braking | not published | |
| Navigation | not published | |
| Cybersecurity | not published | |
| Safety driver required in EuropeThere is no seat for one. Public-road use in the UK depends on the Automated Vehicles Act and on route approvals; no European country named | not published |
Safety 0 / 3
| Truck safety rating | not published | |
|---|---|---|
| Driver assistance (ADAS) | not published | |
| Braking and stability | not published |
Cab and equipment 1 / 5
Service and warranty 0 / 5
| Service interval | not published | |
|---|---|---|
| Vehicle warranty | not published | |
| Service network in Europe | not published | |
| Over-the-air updatesyes / no | not published | |
| Telematics / fleet portal | not published |
Production and market 4 / 12
| Production / assemblyPlant not named | Prototype body by Berkeley Coachworks; series production first in the UK, later on the European mainland | ↗ ↗ ↗ |
|---|---|---|
| Key suppliers | Berkeley Coachworks (body); electric driveline from an established truck maker, not named | ↗ ↗ |
| First customer | not published | |
| Homologation in the EUVoltempo says it has discussed a new category with every major European truck maker (Autocar, trans.info); Fleet News (15 May 2026) quotes its founder as saying they have all signed up to approve it as an official vehicle category and are prepared to build to it | Not possible under today's rules: at 15.6 m and 42 t on five axles it exceeds the limits for a rigid truck and needs a new vehicle category | ↗ ↗ ↗ ↗ |
| Availability in EuropeVoltempo's timetable; Fleet News (15 May 2026) said orders for production vehicles were expected from late 2027. Voltempo's own programme page puts UK on-road trials of autonomous trucks from 2028. trans.info notes it all depends on the prototype, testing and approvals | Prototype due September 2027, then tests on an autonomous-vehicle proving ground in South Wales; production planned from late 2027, first deliveries mid-2028 | ↗ ↗ ↗ ↗ ↗ ↗ |
| Trucks delivered to dateNone yet: the prototype is not built | not published | |
| List price, EuropeNot published | not published | |
| Lease rate | not published | |
| Maintenance cost | not published | |
| Residual value after 5 years | not published | |
| Toll and CO₂ classEU CO₂ class 5 = zero-emission | not published | |
| IAA Transportation 2026Not at the show, as far as published: not in the IAA press-conference line-up and not found in the IAA exhibitor directory (searched 16 September 2026); reported in the IAA newsroom and the IAA Weekly 35/2026 only | not published | ↗ |
Company 2 / 3
| ManufacturerNumber of sites from Automotive World (20 August 2026) | Voltempo Group Limited, Birmingham, United Kingdom: electric truck and van charging company with about 35 charging sites in the UK; runs the Voltempo Autonomous programme and leads the eFREIGHT Autonomous study group with Connected Places Catapult and Berkeley Coachworks | ↗ ↗ ↗ |
|---|---|---|
| Website | voltempo.uk | ↗ |
| Sales contact | not published |
Where these figures come from
- IAA Transportation newsroom, 25 August 2026: Voltempo is developing a driverless 15.6-meter electric truck
- IAA TRANSPORTATION Weekly 35/2026, 26 August 2026: Voltempo develops driverless 15.6-meter electric truck
- Autocar, 19 August 2026: UK firm's self-driving lorry ditches cab for more capacity, less weight (interview with Voltempo founder Michael Boxwell)
- electrive, 19 August 2026: Voltempo unveils 'cabless, driverless' electric truck (Jasmin Apitzsch-Krause)
- Automotive World, 20 August 2026: Voltempo bets on cabless design for autonomous freight (Stewart Burnett)
- trans.info, 25 August 2026: Voltempo's autonomous truck loses the cab – and gains more cargo space
- Voltempo, May 2026: eFREIGHT Autonomous sets out next steps for UK autonomous HGV rollout
- Fleet News, 15 May 2026: Self-driving prototype truck without a cab to be trialled on UK roads (Jack Carfrae)
- Voltempo: Autonomous HGVs — the Voltempo Autonomous programme (read 16 September 2026)
- IAA TRANSPORTATION 2026: Exhibitor and Partner Directory (searched 16 September 2026)
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