At Last! The Arrival of an EV Tipping Point for CV Fleets
UPS have just ordered 10,000 Electric Vehicles from UK start-up Arrival - Hallelujah!
UPS venture capital arm also announced an investment in Arrival of an undisclosed amount.
I'm utterly thrilled in so many ways...
Entrepreneur Denis Sverdlov has put his money where his vision is in an epic ambition to deliver a fully fit-for purpose commercial electric vehicle, and his talented commercial vehicle team led by Glenn Saint are to be congratulated on winning such an awesome vote of confidence from one of the biggest fleet operators on the planet.
A switch to urban, operating, defined mileage, back to base vehicles with zero tailpipe emissions. We've got some buses like that. We've got some taxis like that.
And now we have some delivery vans like that - very soon, lots and lots of them!
Commenting in the announcement video, UPS international Director of Automotive Engineering & Advanced Technology Group, Luke Wake, explained the journey to this point. Luke is an impressive individual who's demonstrated unwavering faith in putting EV's on the road. After working closely with him whilst at Modec I've watched this young man develop his talent over the past decade to now occupy a role of huge significance.
Arrival’s vehicles are priced the same, or less than, current fossil fuel vehicles, making the decision to switch to electric inevitable, and increasing the adoption of electric technology globally. With over 300million commercial vehicles in the world, this will have a huge impact on people, business and the planet.
Today's initial order of 10,000 vehicles will be rolled out over 2020-2024 with the option for a further order of 10,000. Well knowing what I know I'm 100% SOC on those prospective numbers - and positive there will be many more to come further down the road...
As happenstance would have it, Chief of Product Karandeep S Bhogal gave me a quick tour of the Banbury facility last week and outlined a number of key elements in just how the company he is truly proud of is so special.
That's why I'm totally convinced that the following claim in their press release this evening is credible and important!
"Arrival’s Generation 2 Electric Vehicles are a new category of EV that surpass traditional vehicles in cost, design and efficiency with 50% operational cost savings for fleet owners. Arrival has invented a new method of assembly using low capital, low footprint microfactories located to serve local communities and profitable from thousands of units"
The initial vehicles will be rolled out in the UK, Europe and North America.
Arrival has been working with UPS for several years, having first announced a partnership in 2016. Today’s vehicle order and investment will accelerate deployment of fit for purpose electric fleets at scale. Arrival’s unique Generation 2.0 electric vehicles offer UPS compelling commercial and environmental benefits to make a seamless and cost effective transition to a zero emissions fleet.
Denis Sverdlov, Founder and CEO of Arrival said,
“UPS has been a strong strategic partner of Arrival, providing valuable insight to how electric delivery vans are used on the road and how they can be optimised for drivers. Together our teams have been creating bespoke electric vehicles, based on our flexible skateboard platforms, that meet the end-to-end needs of UPS from driving, loading/unloading, depot and back office operations. We are pleased that today’s investment and vehicle order creates even closer ties between our two companies.”
Carlton Rose, President of UPS Global Fleet Maintenance & Engineering said,
“Our investment and partnership with Arrival is directly aligned with UPS’s transformation strategy, led by the deployment of cutting-edge technologies.These vehicles will be among the world’s most advanced package delivery vehicles, redefining industry standards for electric, connected and intelligent vehicle solutions.”
Arrival has developed components, sustainable materials and software to customise both vehicles and operations of commercial fleet owners. Arrival’s unique skateboard platforms create vehicles in any weight, type, size and shape to match customer requirements. The company’s microfactories can be rapidly deployed close to areas of demand across the globe.
Avinash Rugoobur, Chief Strategy Officer at Arrival said,
“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.”
Juan Perez, Chief Information and Engineering Officer, UPS said
“UPS continues to build an integrated fleet of electric vehicles, combined with innovative, large-scale fleet charging technology. As mega-trends like population growth, urban migration, and e-commerce continue to accelerate, we recognize 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 in the design and production of the world’s most advanced electric delivery vehicles.”
With over 300 million vans and trucks on the road fuelled by petrol or diesel, the commercial vehicle segment is a major contributor to transport emissions as well as the fastest growing vehicle segment. The rise of e-commerce has contributed to this increase; over the past decade the number of parcels delivered per day in NYC alone has quadrupled to 1.5 million whilst van mileage in the UK has grown 56% since 2000. The opportunity to significantly impact climate change, coupled with predictable routes and overnight depot charging, make commercial vehicles perfectly suited to seamlessly switch to electric.
Founded in 2015, Arrival has over 800 people globally and is headquartered in London, UK, with offices in Germany, Netherlands, Israel, Russia and the US.
And finally...I'm sure I speak for everyone who was at Modec 2006 -11 when I say that this is at last the time we all believed should and would happen one day! And now it has!
Thank you Arrival
Thank you UPS
