Manufacturing Facility for Key Electric Truck and Bus Parts: Creation of a Production Line for Medium- and Heavy-Duty Electric Vehicle Powertrain Components

As the need for emission reductions grows, fleets have evaluated a variety of technologies at the early stages of feasibility. Zero-Emission Battery-Electric Trucks have historically been plagued with higher costs, low reliability, low range, and low technology transferability between applications. These barriers have not been adequately addressed because development of this technology is costly, risky, and vehicle volumes are too low to bring in enough capital despite opportunities for emission reductions, air quality improvements, community health benefits, and operational saving opportunities.

Incumbent players controlling the market with polluting technologies like gasoline and diesel engines are not incentivized to develop technologies that would displace their current business models. Both the right partnerships and technologies are needed to leverage capital-intense production lines already in existence for traditional trucks into producing battery-electric trucks. Technology, such as the Motiv electric Powertrain Control System, are needed for these tradition truck lines to easily integrate zero-emission battery-electric powertrains.

This project allowed Motiv Power Systems to move into a higher volume production, by building a pilot production line to manufacture and demonstrate economic viability of the Motiv electric Powertrain Control System, while creating clean manufacturing jobs in one of California’s economically distressed areas in Hayward, California. Over the course of this project Motiv’s technology matured and is now available in several zero-emission vehicle applications including shuttle buses, school buses, work trucks, delivery trucks, and a refuse truck. The scalability of the powertrain is seen on a Ford E450 for Class 4 applications, a Ford F59 for Class 6 applications, and a Crane Carrier COE2 for Class 8 applications. The ability for powertrains manufactured on this pilot line to be integrated into both a variety of classes and applications shows that it is possible to leverage existing truck manufacturing infrastructure to deploy emerging technologies with greater reliability, lower costs, and broader market applications.