Lightning eMotors repowered EVs aid Bay Area tech companies

Lightning eMotors is expanding deployment of repowered Class 3 transit to Class 7 passenger vehicles across the Bay Area and northern California. (Photo: Lightning eMotors)

Lightning eMotors, a provider of zero-emissions medium-duty commercial vehicles and electric vehicle technology, is repowering a variety of passenger transit vehicles for shuttle service providers to serve some of the largest tech companies in the world and largest employers across the Bay Area and Northern California.

The all-electric vehicles include Class 3 passenger vans and Class 7 motor coaches, all of which are either in service already, or soon to be in service, providing intra-campus and Park and Ride transportation for thousands of employees in the region.

The orders to repower the vehicles were facilitated by ABC Companies, a product and service provider to the transportation industry. According to the news announcement, ABC chose to partner with Lightning eMotors after conducting a global search for a powertrain provider with the scope, scale, experience and expertise to provide new and repowered zero-emissions vehicles as well as charging solutions for large corporate and municipal customers.

“We’re seeing a significant uptick in interest in these vehicles as the world comes back from COVID, and return-to-work life is accelerating,” Roman Cornell, ABC Companies president and CCO, said. “Our previous work with Lightning eMotors provides insight that these repowered vehicles will not only surpass customer expectations, but also have the capability to spark a trend in and beyond the Bay Area as companies across the nation continue to seek out new sustainable solutions.”

The repowering of commercial vehicles from gas or diesel to all-electric offers a viable alternative in the face of rapidly rising new vehicle prices due to supply chain constraints, while reducing the vehicles’ environmental impact.

“We are encouraged by an acceleration in the adoption of repowered vehicles, not only by these Bay Area powerhouses, but by private and public sector businesses and universities across the country,” said Tim Reeser, Lightning eMotors CEO. “Industries are realizing that repowering existing vehicles with our electric drive system is a highly cost-effective way to lower emissions. And though some companies are looking at converting electric cargo vans to passenger vans, they don’t provide the range, payload capacity or safety features of a Lightning repowered transit.”

All of the repowered vehicles come equipped with Lightning’s integrated advanced telematics system, which allows up to 100 parameters of vehicle performance to be tracked in near-real-time to optimize route planning, increase cost savings and assist with day-to-day operations. The analytics can also be used to inform monthly Environmental, Sustainability and Governance (ESG) reports to help employers stay on track with their sustainability goals.