Commercial EVs

During a presentation at SXSW, autonomous freight technology company, Einride, has publicly introduced its first “Remote Pod Operator,” Tiffany Heathcott. Heathcott is a trucking-veteran that will bring her driving expertise within the truck to her remote operating station, representing a potential paradigm shift of how we safely and efficiently transport cargo.

Electric conversion and purpose-built EV specialists Lightning eMotors announced it has completed a 102,000 sq. foot expansion of its manufacturing facility in Loveland, Colorado. With the expansion, Lightning eMotors expects an output of 1,500 zero-emission vehicles and powertrains by the end of 2022 on its goal to scale to a capacity of 20,000 by 2025.

BYD has announced that Swedish freight technology company, Einride, has purchased 200 of its 8TT battery-electric trucks – the company’s largest heavy-duty BEV sale outside of Asia. The BYD electric trucks will be built in the US and delivered to Einride over the next 12 months to support its fleet customers stateside.

As Volta Trucks works toward start of production for its all-electric Zero truck later this year, it has gained the funding to get it over the finish line. The zero-emission truck manufacturer announced it has garnered an additional €230 million (~$260.6 million) in Series C funding. Furthermore, Volta Trucks’ 5,000+ soft pre-orders offer a potential revenue value of over €1.2 billion (~$1.4 billion).

The Lion Electric Company has launched a new division called LionCapital Solutions. The new division will provide Lion Electric customers with flexible financing as they look to electrify their fleets of medium- to heavy-duty commercial vehicles such as school buses and trucks.

Electrification of school busses and fleets requires a huge upfront cost but lower total cost of ownership over the life of the vehicle. By helping spread out the purchase price of fleets over their lifetimes, Lion is allowing operators to keep in place their current financial structures.

Lightning eMotors, a specialist in purpose-built commercial EVs and electric conversions, has announced a new agreement with General Motors (GM). Under the terms of the new agreement, Lightning eMotors becomes the first GM Specialty Vehicle Manufacturer (SVM) to develop 100% electric Class 3 through 6 commercial vehicles.

Dutch civil engineering company Royal BAM has announced a fully-electric asphalt spreading road paver, which will save more than 93,000 kilograms of CO₂ and 115,000 grams of nitrous oxide emissions compared to its bio-diesel counterparts.

EV technology company Proterra continues to expand its rolodex of commercial EV customers, as Nikola Corporation has recently joined the fold. As part of a new multi-year supply agreement, Proterra will provide its proprietary battery technology to power Nikola’s Tre BEVs and FCEVs.

Kenworth Truck Co. recently shared news of tremendous growing interest in its lineup of all-electric medium- and heavy-duty trucks, noting that orders have tripled the last 90 days as fleets look to take advantage of sweet incentives for zero-emission vehicles.

EV technology company Proterra has announced a large, multi-year agreement with commercial EV manufacturer Vicinity Motor to provide battery systems to hundreds of future commercial vehicles. As part of the supply agreement, a minimum of 600 Vicinity Motor EVs will be powered by Proterra battery systems through 2024, including transit buses and Class 3 to 5 commercial trucks.

Kenworth’s latest, production-ready T680E electric semi truck made its debut earlier this week at the PACCAR CES display in Las Vegas. Make no mistake, this K Whopper is ready to work with 670 hp and an absolutely massive battery to give it 150 mi. of range – but that’s just the headline, and it gets more impressive from there. Read on!

At CES 2022, REE Automotive announced the start of trials of its all-new EV platform specifically designed for commercial delivery vehicles and walk-in vans called the P7. According to REE, this new entirely flat platform was designed based on specifications from one of the world’s largest delivery companies.

Fleet EV developer Lightning eMotors has unveiled a new rolling chassis, purpose-built for Class 4 and 5 commercial EVs. The proprietary Lightning eChassis can support 1,500 lbs greater Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) on average compared to other commercial vehicles in the same class. With the debut of its new eChassis, Lightning eMotors has claimed the title of the first commercial EV manufacturer to offer both purpose-built trucks and electrified conversions of legacy OEM platforms.

EV startup REE Automotive announced a strategic agreement with Hitachi America Ltd. to help accelerate commercial fleet EV adoption. Together, the companies plan to co-create a scalable platform that can offer both Data-as-a-Service (DaaS) and Analytics-as-a-Service (AaaS) to support a new generation of connected commercial EVs.

As thousands of shipping containers sit offshore in the US, a provider of chargers is bringing them a second life by supporting commercial EVs. AMPLY Power has introduced INRUSH, a containerized EV charging infrastructure system that can be set up in about half the time as traditional methods. With the Anaheim Transportation Network (ATN) on board as the first customer, AMPLY’s chargers will soon be supporting buses around Disneyland.

Commercial EV manufacturer Xos, Inc just announced its second series of proprietary battery systems. The Lyra Series will be integrated into commercial vehicles on Xos’ proprietary X-Platform chassis and will debut in two sizes that can be mixed and matched to suit the range needs of commercial fleet customers.

Farizon Auto, the commercial vehicle branch of Geely, launched a new electric semi-truck concept called the Homtruck. While the unveiled vehicle remains a concept, Geely has already shared intentions to enter production and begin deliveries in 2024. Furthermore, the Chinese automaker is planning to roll out the Homtruck semi in international markets too, including North America.

Swedish commercial freight tech company Einride has officially launched its operations in the United States, complete with a new operating system and US versions of its Pod truck. In addition to launching new transport solutions stateside, Einride has announced US customers onboard, including its tire partner Bridgestone.

REV Group, a specialty vehicle designer and manufacturer, announced it has received an order to build its all-electric, E-ONE Vector fire truck for the Mesa Fire and Medical Department in Arizona. When completed and delivered, the Vector will be the first fully-electric fire truck in North America.

Commercial EV manufacturer Electric Last Mile Solutions (ELMS) has announced plans to offer a bundled commercial EV option that features Ample’s modular battery swap capabilities on ELMS’ commercial EVs. With different service options planned, customers will soon be able to choose the best option to support their fleet efficiency.

EV charging network Electrify America has announced a project with NFI Industries to support the latter’s fleet of 60 electric heavy-duty trucks with a charging infrastructure of 34 DC fast chargers. The project is scheduled to be completed in December of 2023 and is being described by the companies as the single largest charging infrastructure project in the US to support heavy-duty EVs.