Motiv Power Systems announced its electric shuttle bus, built in partnership with Turtle Top and Davey Coach, successfully completed the Federal Transit Authority’s (FTA) Bus Test Program in Altoona, Pa.

Motiv’s shuttle bus performed well across all categories and received an overall score of 89.1 on a 100-point scale — the highest score ever achieved for a medium-duty electric bus tested in a seven year/200,000 miles or higher service-life category, according to the company.

Motiv Power Systems, an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) of medium-duty electric trucks and buses, says its electric shuttle bus built in partnership with Turtle Top and Davey Coach has successfully completed the Federal Transit Authority (FTA) Bus Test Program in Altoona, Pennsylvania.

Motiv Power Systems, along with many other electric truck companies, is participating in the much-anticipated Work Truck Week 2024 (WTW 2024). Visit Motiv at at booth #4135. Jim Castelaz, Motiv’s Founder and Chief Technology and Revenue Officer, will talk at the Green Truck Summit. This premier event, hosted by NTEA – The Work Truck Association™, will unfold from March 5–8, 2024, at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis. 

Meaningful volume growth eluded heavy-duty electric trucks last year for several reasons: Charging infrastructure lagged; recalls for battery fires delayed getting many trucks on the road; and money problems imperiled two battery makers.   

The news wasn’t all bad, however. Real estate developers invested in and began building electric charging depots. Single-charge driving range improved for early Class 8 electric offerings from two legacy OEMs. A battery-making startup focused on lithium-iron phosphate chemistry achieved more than 600 miles on a single charge, albeit in a passenger vehicle.

Motiv Power Systems Inc, an electric vehicle manufacturer based in Foster City, California, has launched a medium-duty cab which it claims will offer drivers superior heating efficiency and comfort. 

The ‘Argo Series’ cab is built on Motiv’s latest generation of powertrains, comprising motors and batteries (developed collaboratively with Nidec and Our Next Energy, respectively) installed on Ford chassis. The cab was reportedly designed from the ground up, taking into account over 14 years’ worth of customer feedback. 

California-based Motiv Power Systems recently introduced the company’s new Argo Series electric trucks. They can be used for a number of applications, such as shuttle buses, box trucks, step vans, and refrigerated vehicles. Electric vehicles used for personal transportation tend to get the most press these days. There is also a significant amount of bickering online about electric cars, trucks, and SUVs versus their internal combustion engine vehicle counterparts. What is somewhat overlooked is the fact that electrification of transportation includes larger vehicles used in fleets, and these EVs have some advantages over gas and diesel service vehicles.

Motiv Power Systems is now taking 2024 orders for the new Argo Series electric truck featuring the first medium-duty EV cab.

The Argo Series is designed to support all medium-duty applications across Class 4-6 — including box trucks, step vans, shuttle buses, refrigerated vehicles, vocational vehicles, and other specialties — and is built on top of Motiv’s powertrain, including industry-leading torque and a 150-200 mile range LFP battery.

Lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries already power the majority of electric vehicles in the Chinese market, but they are just starting to make inroads in North America. They aren’t actuall new, having been invented here, but until recently automakers selling EVs here have eschewed them because car buyers wanted more range than they could reasonably deliver. That’s all in the process of changing and we’ll be seeing a lot more LFP here in the coming years with the performance gap expected to close thanks to companies like Our Next Energy (ONE) and Mitra Chem.

Motiv Power Systems, a seasoned player with 14 years of experience in the electric truck industry, has unveiled Argo – an innovative medium-duty Class 4-6 electric truck, specially designed for battery electric operations.

Motiv said its Argo EV trucks will boast a futuristic cab that was designed for an electric vehicle. Motiv Power Systems announced the new Argo Series electric truck featuring a medium-duty EV cab designed from the ground up, with customer-driven miles and fleet owner feedback built in. The launch of Argo is a strategic step for Motiv that will triple the company’s market size and equip it to help even more companies scale their electric fleets, the company said.