Lightning eMotors, a provider of medium-duty and specialty commercial electric vehicles for fleets, recently reported the availability of the Lightning eChassis, an all-new rolling chassis purpose-built for commercial EV applications.
The Lightning eChassis, developed with Metalsa, will be available for Class 4 and 5 commercial electric chassis cab, stripped chassis, and cutaway chassis configurations, the company said. With the addition of the eChassis, Lightning eMotors becomes the first commercial EV manufacturer that can offer both the electrification of existing OEM chassis and purpose-built commercial electric vehicles.
The innovative design accommodates different battery sizes and configurations, different powertrain integrations, and different wheelbases, allowing Lightning to support a wide variety of vocational applications and upfitter partners. Lightning’s eChassis will support an increased gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of approximately 1,500 pounds more, on average, than platforms on the market today, the company claimed, thereby providing customers the potential to increase passenger and payload capacity for electrified ambulances, shuttle buses, delivery and refrigerated trucks, and work trucks.
Lightning expects pre-production units to be available starting in the second quarter of 2022, with production units expected before the end of the year.
Metalsa is a provider of structural components and chassis for the automotive and commercial vehicle industries. The company’s products are built to meet and exceed the industry strength, weight, safety, and quality standards. Additionally, their background in high-volume manufacturing provides the experience to scale up in support of growing market demand.
“We’re thrilled to be collaborating with Lightning eMotors to design, develop, integrate, and assemble this first-of-its-kind flexible chassis, purpose-built to support the growing demand in the industry,” said Joe El-Behairy, president of the e-Mobility growth business unit at Metalsa. “Lightning’s commitment to innovation and putting high-quality vehicles on the road quickly makes them the perfect customer to introduce this product.
“The platform is designed to accommodate the evolving technology and ever-changing product requirements in the market. We are confident that this new rolling chassis, combined with our integration capabilities and ability to scale manufacturing rapidly, will support Lightning’s growth plans.”
At a time when the industry continues to face supply constraints, the Lightning eChassis will contribute to Lightning’s planned increase in production this year, the company added.
“One of the most exciting aspects of our partnership with Metalsa is the control it gives us over our chassis supply chain,” said Chelsea Ramm, vice president of global supply chain for Lightning. “Constraints on the automotive supply chain have impacted the entire EV market. The Lightning eChassis provides our customers with additional options and the flexible architecture to accommodate a variety of different powertrain needs and wheelbases.”
