The Shyft Group, the Novi-based specialty commercial vehicle manufacturer, will reveal its all-new electric delivery vehicle on its proprietary, purpose-built Class 3 EV chassis at the NTEA Work Truck Week trade show in Indianapolis March 8-10.
Using the company’s proprietary Work-Driven Design process, the electric vehicle is a purpose-built walk-in delivery van that will reach a new benchmark in delivering optimal driver ergonomics and user experience. Vehicle prototypes are expected to reach customers for route testing in the coming months, with production expected to begin by mid-2023.
“Unable to find a viable EV chassis option in the market, we decided to build our own,” says Daryl Adams, CEO of Shyft Group. “We developed our proof of concept by leveraging nearly 50 years of experience in custom chassis production and last-mile delivery and will put prototypes in our customers’ hands for testing and validation in the second half of 2022.
“Leveraging the infrastructure that supports our coast-to-coast manufacturing and service footprint, we’re poised to produce at scale to support the sharply rising demand for last-mile delivery vehicles as well as our customers’ carbon-neutral goals.”
Shyft also is helping customers in the transition to electric vehicle fleet management by providing an industry-first, purpose-built, portable power cube, which also will be featured at the show.
Shyft’s proprietary battery-powered chassis features customizable length and wheelbase, making it well-suited to serve a wide range of medium-duty trucks. The chassis’ modular design will accommodate multiple GVWR classifications, based on build-out and usage. The lithium-ion battery packs provide an approximate range of 150 to 175 miles with the opportunity to enhance range through expanded battery options.
With a high degree of configurability, the all-electric chassis is adaptable to last-mile delivery, work truck, mass transit, recreational vehicle, and other emerging EV markets.
Other Shyft brands also will make news at Work Truck Week. DuraMag will present its new S-series all-aluminum service body while Utilimaster will show its Velocity R2, an under 10,000-pound GVWR walk-in van built on a RAM ProMaster chassis.
