Business is picking up for Wrightspeed, the manufacturer of plug-in powertrains for heavy-duty vehicles headed by Tesla founder Ian Wright. The company is expanding its supply chain team, bringing on experts with experience at Tesla, Ford, Cummins, and others, and scaling up operations to meet demand from customers such as New Zealand bus operator NZB and California recycler The Ratto Group.

Now Wrightspeed has partnered with AxleTech International, a manufacturer of heavy-duty specialty drivetrain systems. Wrightspeed plans to leverage AxleTech’s expertise in engineering and manufacturing to accelerate commercial deployment of its multimodal REV Route powertrain. Wrightspeed’s Geared Traction Drive pairs with a custom axle from AxleTech, designed to accommodate Wrightspeed’s final drive gear.

“Our strategy at Wrightspeed leverages world-class suppliers for components that we’ve designed and specified for our integrated powertrain technology,” said Ian Wright. “AxleTech is a proven leader in developing axles for vehicles with the most challenging drive cycles in the world, and, by partnering with them, we get proven quality components and manufacturing expertise, while keeping our team focused on innovation.”

Source: AxleTech, Wrightspeed