California’s City of Porterville Deploys 12 All-Electric Micro-transit Vans from Colorado’s Lightning eMotors
January 28, 2021 at 06:30 pm IST
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With a focus on its mission of sustainability for its residents, the City of Porterville, California is putting 12 zero-emission micro-transit vans into service. The city’s new all-electric passenger vans will be used for transporting residents around the community, such as from home to work and for shopping and other services. The electric vans will replace transit buses on routes with low ridership, allowing residents to use an app to get on-demand, curb-to-curb service. The 12 vehicles, all Class 3 Lightning Electric Transit Vans, were developed by Lightning eMotors, a leading manufacturer of commercial electric vehicles for fleets based in Loveland, Colorado. The vans are built on Ford Transit 350 HD chassis and are upfitted by NorCal Vans/Driverge of Chico, California to meet ADA requirements with support for wheelchair lifts and other customizations. Porterville configured their zero-emission Lightning Electric Transit Van with seats for seven passengers and a wheelchair securement area. They have 86 kilowatt-hours of battery capacity with a range of 120 miles. The vans can be charged in just over an hour by a 50-kW DC fast charger. Fully owned by the City of Porterville, the new vans were partially funded with special funding from the California Air Resources Board (CARB) Hybrid and Zero Emission Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Project (HVIP). The voucher program reduces the upfront cost of advanced zero-emission fleet vehicles and requires manufacturers to have CARB and HVIP certification to participate. The City of Porterville offers its on-demand curb-to-curb, ride-hailing service for only $3 to its residents. The new electric vans will be a part of that service beginning in May.
Lightning eMotors, Inc. designs and manufactures zero-emission vehicles (ZEV) and charging infrastructure solutions for commercial fleets, large enterprises, original equipment manufacturers, and governments. Its products range from cargo vans, transit and shuttle buses, school buses, specialty work trucks, ambulances and electric power trains for school buses, transit buses and motorcoaches. It offers a range of vehicles, including passenger vehicles, cargo vehicles, ambulances, and others. Its Lightning ZEV3 Transit van platform is equipped with an electric drivetrain and, depending on the selected battery configuration, offers a 140-mile to 200-mile range. Its Lightning ZEV4 platform can be outfitted as a shuttle bus with a capacity of up to 18 passengers in many applications, such as airport parking, college and corporate campuses, and senior communities, or as a work truck, as a cargo van or box truck for middle- and last-mile deliveries, or as a Type 3 ambulance.
LIGHTNING EMOTORS, INC. 
