Volta Trucks, a leading and disruptive full-electric commercial vehicle manufacturer and services provider, has confirmed the promotion and appointment of Ian Collins as its new Chief Product Officer, with immediate effect. Ian Collins joined Volta Trucks in August 2020 as engineering director.
In his new role, Ian Collins will be responsible for the development of the product roadmap and lifecycle planning for Volta Trucks, including all features, attributes and specifications across all sectors and markets. He also will lead the design and development of all vehicles and products, from initial concept through to market launch. His responsibility will extend to overseeing the company’s Procurement and Quality functions, working with best-in-class partners, and ensuring that customer’s expectations are exceeded throughout the life of the vehicle.
The announcement comes immediately following the unveiling of the company’s first running prototype chassis, complete with production-specification frame and drivetrain. The prototype chassis is the forerunner to the Pilot Fleet expected to be delivered in late 2021 to start internal and customer testing and evaluation. Full-scale production of customer-specification vehicles will then follow at the end of 2022.
Collins joined Volta Trucks from the start-up electric passenger car brand, Polestar, where he held the position of head of UK Research and Development. He was responsible for the creation of Polestar’s UK engineering facility and the appointment of a team of 120 engineers and designers.
Prior to this, he was technical director and CEO of Emerald Automotive Design, a Geely Group company that delivered the LEVC TX e-city taxi from initial concept through to series production. He has also held senior engineering management positions at McLaren Automotive and Rover Group.
CEO of Volta Trucks, Essa Al-Saleh, said, “I’m delighted to confirm Ian Collins’ promotion to the position of Chief Product Officer. Since he joined the company almost a year ago, Ian’s developed a world-class team of engineers who are bringing the Volta Zero to life at industry-leading pace. He’s also created a nimble and agile approach to the design and development of our vehicles so we can react to our customer’s requirements and can supply them with the vehicles they urgently need. With the Procurement and Quality functions being directly linked to our product strategy, as well as our long-term commercial success, bringing these key departments together is a logical step as we develop our structure. Our ability to attract the best talent to the company, as well as developing from within, will be integral to our ongoing success, and Ian’s appointment is another great example of us having world-class experts and leaders on the Volta Trucks Executive Management Team.”
