Image: Teva Logo via Teva Motors

Teva Motors — Tesla Of Electric Trucks?

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If you haven’t heard of Teva Motors, it’s because it is a fairly new company that was founded in 2012. The fact that Teva hasn’t been around long doesn’t mean it doesn’t have big plans for the future. For example, it looks like Teva Motors plans to build a 7.5 ton payload electric truck that will come with a diesel-powered range extender. That would be something!

teva motors
Image: Teva Logo via Teva Motors

Teva might just be destined for success with Malcolm Power at the helm on engineering. If you’re not familiar with Malcolm, he was the former VP of engineering for the Tesla Roadster and spent 17 years at Lotus. Also, CEO Asher Bennett and Trevor Power bring years of EV expertise to the company.

Teva plans to create an EV truck that it can mass produce for the back-to-base delivery truck market, and from the looks of it, the company has a good start. Teva has already signed a partnership with China’s largest diesel truck exporter, which is pretty impressive for a young company. To top it off, Teva has also gained support from customers like UPS — which could place sizable fleet orders.



One of the hurdles with creating a large EV truck is the range, which is why Teva is adding the Diesel Range Extender. “The range extended drivetrain eliminates range limitations but retains the cost and environmental benefits. Typically the small on-board diesel might be used for just a short time each day to re-charge the battery, but that makes all the difference. It also allows the battery to be used to its full potential, so you get the maximum benefits from cheap night-time electricity.”

The prototype chassis has already been shipped to the UK location where it will be built. Teva believes using an existing chassis will help keep costs down and let the company focus on the drivetrain and battery. This technique was also used by Tesla when it built the Tesla Roadster using a Lotus chassis.

CEO Asher Bennett said: “The market has clearly told us that electric vehicles must be operationally competitive, they must never run out of range, and they must cost less than diesel vehicles. This is what Teva Motors is delivering.”

Teva has the business model, it has team, and it has the connections. Looks like the UK-based Teva Motors is going to make a name for itself.


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