EV Start-Up 'Arrival' gets a boost with a 10,000 Van Order from UPS

VroomBuzz recently wrote about a start-up business called Arrival, well not only do they have Royal Mail knocking at their door in the UK they also have secured a deal with UPS. In just a few years its vehicles are expected to represent one of the largest single-model fleets of electric commercial vehicles in North America and Europe. UPS has committed to purchasing 10,000 electric delivery vans from the startup, in which it has also invested heavily after several years of working with the company to plan the logistics giant's electric future.

The vans will offer a range of over 150 miles and feature lightweight, composite bodies. Equipped with Advanced Driver Assistance Systems, or ADAS, the vans were developed with input from UPS and are designed to be recharged at the logistics company's bases.

"Together, our teams have been working hard to create bespoke electric vehicles, based on our flexible skateboard platforms that meet the end-to-end needs of UPS from driving, loading/unloading and back-office operations," said Denis Sverdlov, Arrival CEO. "We are pleased that today’s investment and vehicle order creates even closer ties between our two companies.”

Other Manufacturers want to join in…

Plans by UPS appear to reconfirm the long-term vision that the mass adoption of EVs will be aided (after a decade of pricey private EVs purchased by early adopters) by logistics companies and other types of businesses whose fleet orders will help bring about cleaner and quieter urban areas. This is what Volkswagen has been betting on with its ID Buzz Cargo concepts, in preparing to offer electric cargo vehicles to large and small businesses alike that will make financial sense compared to gas- or diesel-engined vehicles. These fleet-run vehicles will be able to recharge at night at their home bases, instead of using public charging stations, and will make delivery runs throughout the day in a defined geographic area, making maintenance easy for their owner companies.

Volkswagen ID. Buzz due on the streets in 2022.

In a statement by Juan Perez, UPS chief information and engineering officer, he said… “As mega-trends like population growth, urban migration, and e-commerce continue to accelerate, we recognise the need to work with partners around the world to solve both road congestion and pollution challenges for our customers and the communities we serve. Electric vehicles form a cornerstone to our sustainable urban delivery strategies. Taking an active investment role in Arrival enables UPS to collaborate on the design and production of the world’s most advanced electric delivery vehicles.”