Ricardo and Lightning eMotors, a provider of medium duty commercial electric vehicles for fleets, announced they have entered into a strategic partnership agreement to deploy vehicles in the UK, a market with over 700,000 commercial vehicles in operation today.
The agreement calls for Lightning eMotors to build fully electric powertrains at their 231,000 square foot facility in Loveland, Colorado for shipment to the UK. Ricardo will then assemble and integrate those powertrains into medium duty commercial fleet vehicles at one of its state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in the UK. Ricardo will also source key components for the EV assembly from UK manufacturers, leveraging the company’s world-renowned expertise in managing complex supply chains in critical electric vehicle components.
bp’s Pulse division is able to support this partnership by offering fast charging through its existing network of 7,000 chargers in the UK and deploying charging and microgrid solutions for these customers.
“The UK market is especially well-suited for commercial vehicle electrification because the return on investment for fleets is so fast,” said Tim Reeser, CEO of Lightning eMotors. “With fuel prices that are more than double that of the US, and Zero Emission Zones in London and other cities that charge a daily fee to non-zero-emission vehicles, this market will be one of the fastest growing Commercial ZEV markets in the world.”
Reeser continued, “With Ricardo’s automotive expertise and facilities, we will have electric commercial vehicles assembled and running in UK fleets in 2022.”
Lightning eMotors powertrains support commercial vehicles ranging from class 3 vans to class 6 trucks to class 8 motor coaches. The powertrains will feature battery configurations from 80 kWh to more than 600 kWh using industry-leading lithium-ion battery technology with liquid thermal management systems. These vehicles support ranges on a single charge between 60 and more than 200 miles and can recharge over a lunch break using Lightning eMotors’ DC fast charge infrastructure with integrated vehicle-to-grid (V2G) capabilities. Other features include a modern digital-dash display, hill-hold functionality for safety, advanced telematics, analytics, and a mobile app for drivers and fleet managers.
“Ricardo is the trusted engineering services provider for the world’s leading automotive OEMs,” said Marques McCammon, Global Managing Director, Ricardo Automotive & Industrial. “We are pleased to be applying our expertise in systems integration, providing supply chain and certification of roadworthiness support, as well as powertrain installation and integration services in the UK. This will help fleet electrification become more affordable, encouraging wider adoption.”
