Former bankers Juraj Úlehla and Peter Badík started the Voltii in 2011 in Bratislava. In cooperation with Nissan, they launched the Nissan e-NV200 XL Voltia electric van on the European market. In the autumn of 2019, the French Chronopost bought 400 cars of the previous generation from the Voltie, and a year later the British company Menzies Distribution ordered the fiftieth. Voltie cars run in London, Paris, Vienna and Dortmund. Since the beginning of the business, they have produced and sold almost a thousand electrical supplies.
In March this year, the company presented an enlarged model of its Nissan e-NV200 XL van with a volume of 10 cubic meters. This is an improved version of the existing 8 cubic meter model, which became part of Nissan’s official portfolio last year. The modified model is 28 centimeters higher than the previous version. The car will carry 580 kilograms of cargo and its range is 200 kilometers. It is able to travel at a maximum speed of up to 123 kilometers per hour.
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The van also has a 1.35 meter long space for bales above the driver’s cab. It is powered by a lithium-ion battery with a capacity of 40 kilowatt hours. The model will start production first in Slovakia, later in partner plants in Great Britain and France.
At Voltia, they are currently working on European cooperation with DPD Group and LeasePlan. In May, they plan to deliver over 200 pieces of electrical supplies to Poland to a competitor of the local post office. Before the summer, they want to complete the refrigeration versions of the electrical supply. They collaborate with the Austrian Institute of Technology, the largest research organization in Austria. In the second half of the year, they want to expand to the United States and Canada.
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“The delivery of another 30 enlarged models of DPD electrical supplies in Slovakia through LeasePlan is an important step for us to gain a foothold in the European market,” explains Juraj Úlehla, CEO of Voltie. “As a preferred partner of the DPD Group, we will be able to participate in their recently launched Green Delivery initiative, which aims to reduce emissions to a minimum in 225 European cities by 2025,” he adds.
Voltia’s revenues in 2019 amounted to five million euros (approximately 130 million crowns), but in 2020 they fell to three million euros as a result of the pandemic. This year, the company expects an increase in sales to 10 million euros (approximately 260 million crowns), mainly due to the introduction of new delivery models and subsequent expansion outside Europe. The bet on the North American market can thus bear fruit, thanks to the Biden administration’s kind attitude towards electric cars.
Voltia cooperates with partner companies Gruau, Bevan and Hollen in the production. It produces in Laval, France, Wednesbury, UK and Trnava, Slovakia. It is in Slovakia that they are now negotiating a further expansion of production. “Due to the growing number of orders, we plan to open production with our partner company Hollen in another plant in Slovakia, so that we can produce 120 electrical supplies per month,” says the company’s head Juraj Úlehla.
