UPS announced an order of 10,000 purpose-built electric vehicles from UK based Arrival in January 2020. Now watch this Fully Charged video to learn more about the electric van!
Arrival has purpose-built these electric vans for UPS: wheels are attached to a skateboard-style bed that is flat from front to rear, with an identical wheelhouse. This allows the vehicles to be built by robots in smaller, more flexible micro-factories rather than traditional, conveyor-belt factories.
The vans are modular so that parts can be swapped out over the vehicle’s lifetime to improve and upgrade. Rather than building an entirely new vehicle at the end of its life, the materials can be reused, and any defunct parts replaced
Arrival has created Generation 2 electric vehicles that are better in price, design and experience than traditional fossil fuel vehicles and existing EVs. This gives fleet managers a highly compelling commercial and environmental reason to switch to electric and will accelerate the adoption of electric technology globally. At Arrival, we believe this is amongst the most impactful areas to start the transition to a fully electric future, and our partnership with UPS will drive us both towards our shared vision of cleaner mobility” – said Avinash Rugoobur, Chief Strategy Officer at Arrival.
The initial 10,000 vehicles of the partnership will be rolled out in the UK, Europe and North America from 2020 to 2024 worth hundreds of millions of euros each year. UPS has the option to purchase a further order of 10,000 vehicles during this period. UPS venture capital arm also announced an investment in Arrival of an undisclosed amount.
The vehicles will be built using Arrival’s method of assembly using low capital, low footprint micro-factories located to serve local communities and profitable from thousands of units.
Arrival first announced a partnership with UPS to develop electric vehicles in 2016 with today’s vehicle order and investment accelerating the deployment of fit for purpose electric fleets at scale. Arrival’s unique Generation 2 electric vehicles offer UPS compelling commercial and environmental benefits to make a seamless and cost-effective transition to a zero-emissions fleet.
Photo: Arrival