Corporate fleet buyers have a rich array of potential choices when it comes to updating their last-mile delivery fleets to electric vehicle technology. The van portion of the market is particularly competitive, big names such as General Motors (withits Brightdrop subsidiary) and Rivian (withits public market status所有这些亚马逊订单）今年宣称许多头条新闻。
Clearly, there’s a big shakeout to come, especially as these companies are required to actually start delivering on all their big preorders. That’s where U.K. startup Arrival — allied with UPS and backed by automotive giants Hyundai and Kia — thinks its unique manufacturing strategy will become a key point of differentiation.
Instead of building massive factories,Arrival has created a modular approach to production: It has developed its own chassis, powertrain, body and electronic controls, and standardized those designs into modular components that it says can be assembled and disassembled quickly across its models — and at a lower cost than its rivals. Its EVs will be built in "microfactories" that handle smaller production scales, maybe 10,000 vehicles per year as a start. The first U.S. location is set to come online in the fourth quarter in Charlotte, North Carolina.
该公司北美部门首席执行官迈克·阿伯森（Mike Abelson）上周对我说：“我们的方法是在关键地理位置上拥有小工厂。我们可以将资本部署得更少，我们可以随着需求的发展而部署。”货车也可以更轻松地满足特定客户或市场的需求。他说：“没有规则是，我们在一个小额赛车中制造的货车必须与我们在另一家工厂建造的货车相同。”
Our method is to have small factories in key geographies. We can deploy for much less capital, and we can deploy as we see demand develop.
There are also other implications when it comes to comparing the life-cycle environmental impact of an Arrival vehicle with others. For one thing, all of the van’s exterior panels are made from lightweight, durable composite that can be dyed to a single color, eliminating the need for painting.
There are other potential advantages, such as the ability to upgrade various components over time as the technology advances. The older components can be reclaimed and reused, and new features, such as safety updates or driver assistance features, can be added through software updates. (Over half of Arrival’s engineers are software developers.) "We think that is a big benefit when you look at the total sustainability picture," Abelson said.
On the battery side, Arrival’s partner is LG Energy Solution. It’s also allied with Li-Cycle, one of the startups working on lithium-ion recycling technology and processes.
Right now, Arrival is working on two van models. Two of its早期客户是UPS(which has ordered 10,000 vehicles, with an option for many more) and fleet management LeasePlan (which has booked 3,000 vans). Abelson said Arrival has memorandums of understanding for about 100,000 orders total. "We have been very pleased with the reception of the product," he said.
Most companies with large last-mile fleets will hedge their bets when it comes to balancing those purchases across several suppliers — Amazon, as an example, is alsobuying vans in Europe from Mercedes-Benz. Alongside considerations such as vehicle ranges, capacity, battery life, maintenance and the like, Arrival’s environmental life-cycle metrics will certainly resonate during sales pitches.
