Commercial EV manufacturer Lightning eMotors (NYSE: ZEV) has partnered with Tier 1 supplier Ricardo to assemble commercial EVs for the UK market.

Lightning will build fully electric powertrains at its plant in Loveland, Colorado, and ship them to the UK, where Ricardo will assemble and integrate those powertrains into medium-duty commercial fleet vehicles. Ricardo will also source key components for the EV assembly from UK manufacturers.

The powertrains will feature battery configurations from 80 kWh to more than 600 kWh, and will use liquid thermal management systems. The vehicles will have ranges between 60 and 200 miles, and will use Lightning’s DC fast charging infrastructure, which features integrated vehicle-to-grid (V2G) capabilities. Other features include a modern digital-dash display, hill-hold functionality, telematics, analytics, and a mobile app for drivers and fleet managers.

“The UK market is especially well-suited for commercial vehicle electrification because the return on investment for fleets is so fast,” said Tim Reeser, CEO of Lightning eMotors. “With fuel prices that are more than double that of the US, and Zero Emission Zones in London and other cities that charge a daily fee to non-zero-emission vehicles, this market will be one of the fastest-growing commercial ZEV markets in the world. With Ricardo’s automotive expertise and facilities, we will have electric commercial vehicles assembled and running in UK fleets in 2022.”

“Ricardo is the trusted engineering services provider for the world’s leading automotive OEMs,” said Marques McCammon, Global Managing Director, Ricardo Automotive & Industrial. “We are pleased to be applying our expertise in systems integration, providing supply chain and certification of roadworthiness support, as well as powertrain installation and integration services in the UK.”

Source: Lightning eMotors