Motiv has been making electric powertrains for other chassis for 14 years now. Compared to light-duty vehicles—smaller pickup trucks, SUVs, and passenger cars—there’s a relative lack of new medium-duty electric trucks for the commercial market. That’s not to say there are no medium-duty EVs out there—quite a few companies have been making electric powertrains for use in commercial vehicles like delivery vans and school buses. Motiv is one such company, a 14-year veteran of the field. Today it announced a new medium-duty EV designed from the ground up, called the Argo.

Motiv Power Systems, a 14-year veteran of the electric truck industry, has just announced Argo, a new medium-duty Class 4-6 truck designed from the ground up to be electric, available in 2024.

Electric trucking is a hot sector right now due to new rules adopted by California requiring rapid electrification of commercial fleets. These rules mean about 20,000 medium-duty electric trucks will need to be deployed by the end of 2024.

Motiv Power Systems is a company that makes all-electric medium-duty box trucks, step vans, shuttle and school buses, specialty vehicles, trolleys, work trucks and even offers charging station support.

Canadian delivery and logistics company, Purolator, is joining the North American Council for Freight Efficiency’s (NACFE) upcoming Run on Less –Electric Depot demonstration.

Purolator’s Richmond depot in British Columbia this week joined a previously announced lineup of nine other participants including Frito-Lay, OK Produce, Penske, PepsiCo, Performance Team, Schneider, UPS and WattEV.

Two more fleets have joined the eight fleets already signed on for the North American Council for Freight Efficiency’s (NACFE) Run on Less – Electric DEPOT (RoL-E DEPOT).

Purolator located in Richmond, British Columbia, and US Foods in La Mirada, California, will now participate in the Run along with Frito-Lay, OK Produce, Penske, PepsiCo, Performance Team, Schneider, UPS, and WattEV.

“We are thrilled to have so many fleets interested in being in Run on Less – Electric DEPOT and are looking forward to learning more about the operations at Purolator and US Foods,” said Mike Roeth, NACFE’s executive director. “It’s exciting to have a Canadian fleet participating and great to add another California fleet too.”

The North American Council for Freight Efficiency’s (NACFE) Run on Less – Electric Depot demonstration will include some decidedly Canadian power and routes this fall, with Purolator joining the list of participating fleets.

The Canada Post subsidiary and California-based US Foods add to previously announced participants including Frito-Lay, OK Produce, Penske, PepsiCo, Performance Team, Schneider, UPS, and Watt EV.

Startups and major OEMs are under no illusions that fleets and other truck owners are up against a costly transition to zero emission trucks and see generous incentives like those found in California as being critical for a historic shift that’s being mandated by increasingly stringent emissions laws.

California made global headlines in April when it became the first government in the world to mandate the end the sales of conventional internal combustion trucks by 2036. Fleets wishing to continue to do business at the nation’s busiest ports and elsewhere in the Golden State will have until 2045 to make the switch to zero-emission trucks which currently includes all-electric and fuel-cell. Other states could follow suit.

Most of the buzz around commercial truck electrification seems to focus on Class 8 models. Who’s ordering them? Where is the infrastructure to charge them? Other than a few lesser-known players like BYD and Nikola, the field belongs to the legacy players like Daimler Truck, Volvo and Paccar.

That leaves a clearer field for startups and electric chassis companies in the Class 3-5 range. Of those, Class 5 model step vans weighing between 16,001 and 19,500 pounds are attracting a lot of new entrants. These trucks can carry up to 10,000 pounds of cargo, move easily in traffic and — despite their boxy appearance — maneuver reasonably well.

Most of the buzz around commercial truck electrification seems to focus on Class 8 models. Who’s ordering them? Where is the infrastructure to charge them? Other than a few lesser-known players like BYD and Nikola, the field belongs to the legacy players like Daimler Truck, Volvo and Paccar.

That leaves a clearer field for startups and electric chassis companies in the Class 3-5 range. Of those, Class 5 model step vans weighing between 16,001 and 19,500 pounds are attracting a lot of new entrants. These trucks can carry up to 10,000 pounds of cargo, move easily in traffic and — despite their boxy appearance — maneuver reasonably well. 

At the Advanced Clean Transportation (ACT) Expo in Anaheim, California, held between 1-4 May 2023, Motiv Power Systems Inc of Foster City, California announced the launch of its newest-generation EV powertrain and presented a box truck with an all-electric refrigeration unit by Carrier Transicold.