Leap, Xos partner to power grid with electric fleets

Leap, a platform for building and scaling virtual power plants (VPP), and Xos, Inc., an electric truck manufacturer and fleet services provider, announced a new partnership to unlock grid revenue opportunities for electrified fleets. By connecting Xos Hub charging technology to energy markets through Leap’s automated platform, the companies said they will create new value for fleet owners and deliver crucial support for the grid during energy emergencies.

Image: Leap/Xos, Inc./BusinessWire

Xos manufactures electric step van vehicles used by logistics companies such as FedEx and UPS. The company’s Xos Hub is a mobile, battery-integrated charger designed to speed up fleet electrification without the delays or costs of traditional infrastructure.

By using Leap’s software-only VPP platform, Xos can enroll its customers in California’s demand side grid support (DSGS) grid services program. During emergency grid events, participating fleets will automatically shift charging from the grid to their Xos Hub battery-integrating chargers, relieving grid strain while generating revenue.

Last summer, with major contributions from Leap, DSGS helped California avoid blackouts during prolonged heatwaves. With the addition of Xos’s rapidly growing portfolio, Leap and its partners are poised to deliver even greater support to the grid, Leap said.

“Leveraging our complementary technologies, Leap and Xos are tapping new value streams for commercial truck fleets, the transportation services that power our economy,” said Jason Michaels, CEO of Leap.

Leap said its universal API suite automates energy market operations, enabling Xos to quickly deploy and scale its own VPP offering without additional hardware or significant additional operational overhead. This means that Xos can immediately start generating new grid revenue, reducing the total product cost for customers and driving ongoing energy savings.

“Our VPP offering gives fleet customers advanced energy capabilities without compromising control or convenience,” said Dakota Semler, CEO of Xos, Inc. “It’s a powerful way to lower the cost of infrastructure ownership even further, maximize the value of our products, and support customers in meeting their electrification goals.”