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Lightning eMotors, a provider of specialty commercial electric vehicles for fleets, and Forest River announced they have entered into a strategic partnership agreement to deploy up to 7,500 zero-emission shuttle buses.
Forest River deploys Lightning eMotors all-electric passenger buses
The agreement, with a potential estimated value of up to $850 million, calls for Lightning eMotors to build fully electric powertrains and provide charging products, and services for Forest River over the next four and a half years. Lightning eMotors will manufacture the zero-emission-vehicle (ZEV) powertrain systems at their 231,000 square foot facility in Loveland, Colo., and ship the powertrains to Forest River’s factory in Goshen, Ind., for final assembly of the Class 4 and 5 all-electric passenger buses. Forest River is the leading shuttle bus market leader in North America, with eight manufacturing buildings and more than 500,000 square feet of production space. The Elkhart, Ind.-based company has plans to dedicate 100,000 square feet to install Lightning eMotors’ powertrains.
Forest River Bus Division President David Wright
“This has the potential to be the largest contract ever in the electric shuttle bus market, and we believe it will be the catalyst for other large commercial vehicle OEMs and fleets to accelerate their adoption of commercial electric vehicles,” said Lightning eMotors CEO Tim Reeser. “Forest River’s family of shuttle bus companies, including top name brands like Starcraft, Glaval, and Champion, maintain a dominant market position selling over 10,000 units per year in the Class 4 to 6 shuttle-bus space. Forest River’s sales volumes allow us to provide a price point to their dealers and customers that results in a very compelling ROI. We believe this commitment from the largest shuttle bus manufacturer in the U.S. demonstrates that they believe that commercial vehicle customers are now demanding Lightning eMotors’ zero-emission vehicles over ICE vehicles.”
The vehicles that Forest River and Lightning eMotors will co-produce are Class 4 and 5 shuttle buses with gross vehicle weight ratings ranging from 14,500 to 19,500 pounds. The buses will feature battery configurations from 80kWh to more than 160kWh using industry-leading battery thermal management systems. These vehicles support ranges on a single charge between 80 and 160 miles and can recharge over a lunch break using Lightning eMotors’ DC fast charge infrastructure with integrated vehicle-to-grid (V2G) capabilities. Available configurations will have between 12 and 33 passenger seats with ADA options available, and bus lengths of 20 to 34 feet. 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. All vehicles will be compliant with the Federal Transit Administration’s “Buy America” and the Federal Aviation Administration’s “Buy American” guidelines.
“We decided to work with Lightning eMotors after several years of extensive research because of their market and technology leadership in the commercial EV segment,” said David Wright, president of Forest River’s bus divisions. “I was especially impressed after visiting their manufacturing facility in Colorado, driving their vehicles, and talking to their customers. It is clear why Lightning eMotors is at the forefront of fleet electrification. We’ll be providing our customers with a factory-installed electric powertrain that has proven technology relied upon by major fleets, at a price point no one else has been able to achieve. We believe this will be a game changer for shuttle-bus operators.”
Kash Sethi, chief revenue officer of Lightning eMotors, said that the partnership between the companies is important for several reasons.
“Transit agencies and other shuttle operators, including airports, parking lots, hotels, and corporate and university campuses, have had an increasing selection of options for large full-size electric buses,” Sethi said. “However, supply for medium-duty electric buses has been limited to smaller EV companies working with regional dealerships to retrofit buses. This model has proven to be neither cost-efficient nor scalable. Now, Forest River is demonstrating it will continue being the leader in the commercial bus market by offering sustainable zero-emission buses as part of their core product portfolio. We believe that will greatly improve the availability of premium-quality, cost-effective electric buses. We look forward to working with Forest River, and their dealer network, in leading the industry through this transformation.”
Forest River’s 100-plus bus dealership locations throughout the U.S. and Canada will have the opportunity to sell and service these vehicles. Manufacturing of Forest River Lightning EV shuttles has already begun, and Forest River expects to deliver several dozens of the new electric shuttle buses to its dealerships by the end of this year.
Lightning eMotors’ charging division, Lightning Energy, will offer a comprehensive suite of charging and charging infrastructure related products and services to Forest River dealers and shuttle-bus operators.
Visit forestriverinc.com or lightningemotors.com for more information.
[08.13.21]
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Chauffeur Driven (CD) and the National Limousine Association (NLA) are excited to announce the roster for one of the CD/NLA Show’s most popular events, the Operator Mentoring Program.
If the past 18 months have taught us anything it’s that industry collaboration is how we’re all going to move forward. This interactive event matches participants with both a Mentor and a NextGen operator—a perfect combination of proven wisdom and fresh perspectives—for an open dialogue on the most pressing and crucial topics affecting you and your operation in this time of resurgence. This is just the type of guidance and support network that you need to take full advantage of the recovery and the opportunities it’s presenting. If you’re ready to commit to your business like never before, then this should be on your can’t-miss list.
Our roster of Mentors and NextGens includes:
Darrell Anderson of A-National Limousine Service and Christina Nguyen of Concierge Limousine
Brett Barenholtz of Boston Car Service/Above All Transportation and Christina Zanone of Beau Wine Tours
Carla Boccio of Buffalo Limousine and Gus Ortis of Executive Transportation
Kristina Bouweiri of Reston Limousine and Jay Erlich of Europe Limousine
Alan Candeub of Park Avenue Limousine and TJ Doyle of Gold Shield Transportation
Eric Devlin of Premier Transportation and Evan Blanchette of VIP Global
Sean Duval of Golden Limousine and Dave Uziel of UrbanBCN Worldwide
Mike Fogarty of RMA Worldwide and Kristin Hundley of Limousine Connection
Diane Forgy of Overland Chauffeured Services and Hashim Abdi of Mint Life Limo
Athena Grimm of BAC Transportation and Fernando Carlison of Mundi Limousine
Matt Johnston of AJL International and Anthony Asaro of Desert Rose Worldwide Transportation
Jason Kaplan of the Driver Provider and Zena Kulikowska of Global Alliance Worldwide
Tracy Raimer of Windy City Limousine & Bus and Yoalli Garcia of Godandi & Sons
Robert Rodriguez of First Class Destination Solutions and Nick Boccio of Buffalo Limousine
Jason Sharenow of Broadway Elite Worldwide and Michael Gibbon of Elite Coach Transportation
Douglas Schwartz of Executive Ground Transportation and Jason Messinger of BBZ Limousine
The Operator Mentor Program, which will take place on Sunday, October 10 at 4:30 pm, requires pre-registration. All slots are filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Click here to register for the event.
If you haven’t already registered for the show or booked your stay at our host property, the Gaylord Texan Hotel and Convention Center, don’t delay. Not only are we quickly approaching the August 13 deadline for our Early-Bird Rate of $399 for a full show pass, but our room block is filling up fast. Gaylord Texan—conveniently located near the DFW airport—is offering an exclusive room rate of $219 per night for all CD/NLA Show attendees. This is an unbelievable price for this luxurious all-under-one-roof venue (standard rooms are currently going for $345 a night). What’s more, NLA members can save an additional $75 off the show price. Don’t miss out on these exclusive offers.
Visit cdnlashow.com for more information.
[08.11.21]
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The health and safety of your passengers has never been more important, and the scientific community is learning new ways every day to clean and disinfect public spaces. To keep the business community up to date, the EPA is holding a free webinar on August 12 at 1:00 p.m. ET called COVID-19: Aerosol Treatment Devices & Ozone Disinfection.
This session will address the latest methods that are available to businesses: EPA researchers are currently evaluating the efficacy of different types of aerosol treatment technologies in reducing airborne concentrations using a large-scale test chamber and a standardized testing approach. Conducting this research at a sufficiently large-scale with a recirculating HVAC system provides EPA and the public with an independent source of efficacy information that can be more reliably translated to real-world settings. Researchers are establishing protocols for evaluating efficacy of aerosol treatment products to help facilitate cross-technology comparisons.
Additionally, alternative methods that supplement regular cleaning and disinfection are being investigated by EPA researchers for their use in the ongoing COVID pandemic. Ozone fumigation has been identified as a potential method for disinfection of surfaces contaminated with the COVID virus. This webinar will discuss results from evaluating the efficacy of such methods and real-world application.
Register for the webinar via Zoom here.
[08.10.21]