Recently, Workhorse inked a deal with DHL for 60 of its electric NGEN delivery vans and agreed to work with Duke Energy on streamlining the charging infrastructure that commercial customers like DHL will require as they transition to electric trucks.
With volume production of the NGEN scheduled to begin in the third quarter of this year, the company has now forged a partnership with Prefix Corporation for the final design, development, and production of the NGEN series. The two companies will focus on building a common platform for electric delivery vans with 650, 1,000, and 1,200 cubic feet of cargo capacity.
To streamline cost and increase production efficiency, all sizes will share a common cab and chassis configuration. The new delivery vans will be built on a low-floor chassis platform developed by Workhorse while Prefix will develop, build, and supply the 100% composite cab and body, according to a press release.
This is not the first time Workhorse and Prefix have worked together. Last year they collaborated on a test run of 450-square-foot electric vans that were used in and around San Francisco. Those trials have helped both companies understand how to reduce the weight of the vehicles to improve mileage, performance, and driver safety while reducing the demand on the charging infrastructure.
“This strategic partnership provides Workhorse with a proven partner that will allow us to remain on schedule to fulfill existing orders we have from our key customers like UPS and DHL,” says company CEO Duane Hughes. “Through our previous partnerships with Prefix, we’ve already worked closely together and witnessed the quality of their work firsthand. With this new formal partnership in place, we’ll be able to expedite production, and completion, of the industry’s most innovative electric delivery van.”
Eric Zeile, President of Prefix Corporation, adds, “Our new collaboration with Workhorse has been a natural progression, given that we’ve already previously designed and built several prototype cabs and bodies on the Workhorse electric chassis. We are thrilled to work alongside Workhorse in producing the most efficient, cost effective, and technologically advanced last-mile delivery van.” That’s exactly what America needs.
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