Accelerating the Electrification of Commercial Vehicles

The electrification of the commercial vehicle market is hardly a new idea. Smith Electric Vehicles launched its Newton medium duty electric box truck in 2006 but had roots going back to 1920. Unfortunately, for Smith, it was too early to the game, before costs really started to come down, and had to shutter in 2017. But many other manufacturers including General Motors, Ford, Rivian, Arrival, and now a partnership between Morgan Olson and REE are taking up the mantle. 

In 2020, General Motors launched an entirely new business unit called Brightdrop to focus exclusively on electric commercial vehicles. Using the flexible Ultium propulsion and battery system developed for its mainstream vehicles, Brightdrop designed an all-new purpose-built step-van called the Zevo 600 and began initial low-volume deliveries to FedEx in late 2021. A smaller Zevo 400 is coming in 2023, and customers include Walmart and Verizon.

In spring 2022, Ford also began deliveries of a battery-powered version of its best-selling Transit van to commercial customers. Ford has also announced plans for production of larger medium duty electric trucks at its Lorain, Ohio, assembly plant in the next few years. 

After more than a year of on-road testing, Amazon has recently started regular deployment of Rivian’s EDV700 step-van with plans to expand them to 100 cities by the end of 2022. In 2019, Amazon ordered 100,000 of these vans as part of its plan to become carbon neutral by 2040. 

Another new entrant in the field of electric commercial vehicles is the partnership between Morgan Olson and Israeli startup REE. Morgan Olson is one of the largest manufacturers of step-van bodies for commercial vehicles. Working with EAVX, the R&D unit of parent JB Poindexter & Co and REE, they have developed the Proxima, a proof-of-concept step-van using REE’s electric corner modules. 

Figure 1: REE’s Electric Corner Module

(Source: REE)

These corner modules integrate suspension, electric drive units, electric steering actuators and electro-hydraulic brake actuators. The module concept can be scaled up or down as needed for different applications and easily used on chassis of different length and width. Only electric power and networking connections are required. Each corner can be driven and steered independently. 

During a recent demonstration, the 28.4-ft long Proxima was shown driving through a slalom course with cones spaced at 26 ft and doing a U-turn in less than 50 ft. This was enabled by the four-wheel steering that comes as part of the corner module layout. If service is needed for any of the components in that corner module, the entire assembly can be swapped out for another in less than one hour to get the vehicle back in service while the repairs are done offline. The oil-cooled drive unit is completely sealed and doesn’t require maintenance for 10 years. REE is establishing an assembly facility for its P7 platform in Austin, Texas, and Morgan Olson hopes to deliver more than 100 Proxima vans to customers for pilot deployment by the end of 2023. 

The appeal of electrification in the commercial sector is substantially reduced operating costs. Vehicles used for last-mile delivery generally have low average speeds and frequent stops and starts, which maximizes the utilization of regenerative braking. This is a worst-case scenario for internal combustion vehicles, but ideal for EVs. The elimination of oil changes and other engine repairs reduces downtime and wear caused by excessive idling. With more commercial EVs coming to market in the next few years, the electric transition is likely to accelerate.