Responding to fleet market demand for complete, body-ready chassis, Motiv Power Systems has unveiled its EPIC (Electric Powered Intelligent Chassis) all-electric family of chassis for 2018.
Debuting next week at Ford’s Work Truck Show booth in Indianapolis, it is based on the popular E-450, F-59, and F-53 platforms. The EPIC all-electric chassis are production line ready, drop-in replacements for the equivalent ICE chassis and are available for a wide range of medium-duty body applications including walk-in vans, box trucks, school buses, shuttle buses, work trucks and specialty vehicles, according to Motiv. As a zero-emissions offering, the EPIC family of all-electric chassis qualify for regional and national incentive and subsidy programs including Volkswagen settlement funding.
“Since 2009, Motiv has been dedicated to taking the guesswork out of adding all-electric vehicles to existing fleets. Moving from providing powertrain kits to manufacturing complete electric chassis is a natural evolution for us,” said Jim Castelaz, founder and CEO of Motiv Power Systems. “With the debut of the EPIC chassis family, fleet buyers and operators seeking un-compromised performance and functionality, together with dramatically reduced operating and servicing costs, now have a streamlined path towards that goal.”
Having received Ford’s qualified vehicle modifier approval (EQVM), the new EPIC chassis family provides a broad range of capabilities in range, power, and capacity equivalent to common combustion alternatives with the added benefits of near silent operation and smooth power delivery, according to Motiv. Featuring Motiv’s award-winning Smart Power Control Technology, each EPIC chassis is available with universal charging compatibility and secure remote telematics and diagnostics for unparalleled charging flexibility and fleet/driver connectivity.
“With nearly ten years of operations, and with more than 350,000 miles logged in major national fleet deployments, Motiv’s powertrain offerings have established a well-deserved reputation for reliability and scalability. These traits are also exemplified in the new EPIC chassis family as a turn-key, all-electric chassis,” said Kash Sethi Director of Sales at Motiv. “With EPIC, fleets can select chassis optimized for their specific range, payload, and route requirements. By providing an all-electric offering for fleet applications Motiv now closely mirrors the long-established procurement process for internal combustion engine powered chassis.”
The new EPIC all-electric chassis will be on exhibit at Ford’s booth #3239 at The Work Truck Show in Indianapolis, March 7-9, 2018. Attendees wanting to experience the operation of Motiv power for themselves are encouraged to test drive an all-electric EPIC chassis powered AmeriPride walk-in van with a Utilimaster body, as part of a Ride & Drive event jointly hosted by Utlimaster and Motiv.
