Former MAN chief technology officer joins Volta Trucks as director

Volta Trucks has appointed Dr Karl Viktor Schaller, former MAN chief technology officer, to its board of directors, as it begins the production of its first full-electric Volta Zero prototype vehicles.

Dr Schaller brings a wealth of experience to Volta Trucks, having held a number of executive and board positions in the automotive sector.Between 2014 and 2019, he was executive vice president of motorcycle engineering with BMW AG.

Before joining BMW, Dr Schaller was chief technology officer of MAN Truck and Bus, with responsibility for engineering, purchasing, planning and product development.

Prior to this, he was director of MAN's heavy trucks business unit, after having headed various other departments.

During this period at MAN, he led the development of alternative drive systems, including batteries, hybrids, natural gas, hydrogen in internal combustion and fuel cell applications, as well as advanced driver assistance systems, and heavy trucks.

Dr Schaller is also an honorary professor at the Technical University of Munich.

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Announcing the appointment of Dr Schaller, Douglas Snyder, president of Luxor Capital Group and chairman of the board at Volta Trucks, said: “I am delighted to welcome Karl Viktor Schaller to the board of directors of Volta Trucks.

"His arrival coincides with significant, positive, engineering and manufacturing developments for the company, as we move into the production of the first full-electric Volta Zero prototype vehicles on our production line in Steyr, Austria.

"And within just a few months, Volta Trucks will start production of customer vehicles, transitioning from a start-up to a vehicle manufacturer. Karl Viktor brings a wealth of engineering and product development experience to the Board that will help us support the executive team achieve its ambitious goals, and within industry-leading timescales.”

Karl Viktor Schaller added: "I am excited to join the board of Volta Trucks and support the company and the other board members in our journey to a new and carbon-neutral urban delivery system.

"Having worked for Volta Trucks as a consultant to support the homologation process, I have seen the challenges and outstanding solutions to bring this all to a quality-based production process. In these areas, I am eager to support with 30 years of automotive experience.”