Notre Dame Begins Pilot of ELMS All-Electric Urban Delivery
(photo courtesy of Electric Last Mile Solutions Inc.)
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowMichigan-based Electric Last Mile Solutions Inc. (Nasdaq: ELMS) and the University of Notre Dame have begun a pilot of the ELMS all-electric Urban Delivery vehicles for use on the university’s campus. The company says the testing program will evaluate how Notre Dame can advance both efficiency and sustainability by using “purpose-built electric vehicles.”
ELMS says the Urban Delivery is expected to be the first electric Class 1 commercial vehicle available in the United States and is expected to have a range of 150 miles.
“Partnering with ELMS on this pilot program represents a terrific opportunity to explore how Notre Dame can accelerate its sustainability goals while driving operational efficiency and supporting local manufacturing,” said Carol Mullaney, Notre Dame’s senior director of sustainability and logistics. “We look forward to working with ELMS and setting an example for how higher education can move the needle on sustainability through fleet electrification.”
As part of the program, the company says the ELMS Urban Delivery will be put through the university campus fleet’s various duty cycles. The program will also use vehicle data analytics and telematics. Notre Dame and ELMS will work together to gather performance data throughout the pilot.
“We’re thrilled to be partnering with Notre Dame, one of the country’s leading research universities, to pilot our Urban Delivery in what we believe is a considerable yet underserved vertical in the commercial vehicle market,” said ELMS co-founder and Chief Executive Officer James Taylor. “With our intended manufacturing operations just down the road, we are excited to work with local partners like Notre Dame to put St. Joseph County on the map as a national hub for American-made, sustainable EVs.”
Production of the Urban Delivery is expected to begin later this year at ELMS’ intended manufacturing and assembly plant in Mishawaka.