By Nick Carey
(Reuters) – Motiv Power Systems, which provides chassis and software systems for medium-duty trucks and buses, said on Tuesday it had received an order for more than 100 electric delivery trucks from Bimbo Bakeries USA, America’s largest bakery.
The deal comes after a successful pilot program at the U.S. unit of Mexico’s Grupo Bimbo, using Motiv’s delivery trucks – which are electrified versions of Ford Motor Co’s F-59 truck, using batteries provided by BMW.
The deal comes as delivery fleet operators face regulatory pressure in California and other states to buy electric vehicles, while coronavirus lockdowns have fueled a surge in package deliveries.
Motiv currently has 23 delivery trucks in production for Bimbo and will deliver 100 more in 2021, the company said. So far, Motiv has raised $95 million from investors.
Foster City, California-based Motiv has a number of pilot projects under way with a number of other fleets, Chief Executive Matt O’Leary told Reuters.
“This is a sign of the future,” he said. “We’re on the verge of some major volume orders of EVs.”
There are currently few commercial electric vehicles currently in service, but a growing number of startup and traditional manufacturers including Ford and General Motors Co plan to bring models to market in the next few years.
In August, Amazon.com Inc ordered 1,800 electric vans from Daimler AG’s Mercedes-Benz and has ordered 100,000 vans from startup Rivian.
In September, EV makers AYRO Inc and Karma Automotive LLC said they would produce more than 20,000 electric delivery vehicles through 2023.
(Reporting by Nick Carey; Editing by Nick Macfie)
