STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Swedish startup Volta Trucks on Thursday unveiled its Volta Zero, a 16-tonne electric truck, with plans to start production in 2022 in the United Kingdom.

Following the success of companies such as Tesla in popularising electric cars, electric trucks have also been getting a lot of attention from existing players such as Volvo and Daimler and startups like Rivian and Nikola.

Trials will start next year with parcel delivery companies such as DPDgroup in the UK and other firms in Europe and Volta aims to put 500 vehicles on the road by 2022, CEO Rob Fowler told Reuters.

“We are also well progressed with another seven or eight customers,” he said.

The company said the first Volta vehicle was manufactured by Prodrive in Warwick, England, and it is in discussion with a small number of suppliers for contract manufacturing of its trucks.

It declined to give details about its current funding. Fowler said that the company is interested in raising funds to fuel the capital-intensive business.