LOUISVILLE, KY — ArvinMeritor has entered into program to develop a new alternative-power vehicle with an electric drivetrain. ArvinMeritor will work on the project with Unicell Ltd., a medium-duty body builder with operations in Toronto, Ontario, and Buffalo, N.Y. The new electric drive vehicle will be equipped with a fully-electric drivetrain and will be demonstrated to the public in 2006.
The initial vehicle application is for pickup and delivery vehicles. The particular fleet name is being withheld pending completion of the vehicle development.
“This is an exciting new vehicle application for our expanding role as a true systems integrator,” said Garrick Hu, vice president of Advanced Engineering for ArvinMeritor’s Commercial Vehicle Systems business unit. “We are leveraging our experience in electric drive axles and are gaining the know-how to design similar systems for other applications, such as school bus and low-floor bus and coach vehicles.”
Hu added that many commercial vocational applications exist where this type of zero emissions vehicle will become dominant over the next five to 15 years, primarily due to reduced emissions in urban environments. The rate of adoption will be largely dependent on the cost of battery energy storage relative to the cost of fossil fuel.
According to ArvinMeritor engineers, the new electric drivetrain system will provide the fleet operator lower energy costs, zero emissions and considerable operations efficiency.
For more information, go to: www.arvinmeritor.com.
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