In what is billed as the triumph of battery-powered locomotion over internal combustion engines, a plant that produced the culturally iconic, fuel-guzzling Hummer is now making electric vans!
If you were around at the time and were interested, you would probably remember the hulking Hummer SUVs from rap music videos. Those vehicles consumed tons of fuel and produced lots of carbon emissions. They also jostled other cars out of the way due to their hulking nature.
Environment conservation, however, is having the last laugh as the plant that made the Hummer will make pollution-free electric vans. The factory, located in Mishawaka, Indiana, has been taken over by Electric Last Mile Solutions (ELMS), who announced the delivery of its first batch of Urban Delivery EV electric vans to customers.
According to ELMS, these Class 1 electric vans are the first of their kind in the US, and the initial batch will go to Randy Marion Automotive Group. This dealership placed an order for 1,000 units.
ELMS started in August 2020, with CEO Jim Taylor leading the effort to buy the production facility. The company uses a model where part of the manufacturing is done in China, but the vans are finished in the former Hummer-producing factory.
The light-duty Urban Delivery EV van is 177 inches long, 64 inches wide, and 75 inches tall. It has a 2,100-pound payload capacity, 171 cubic feet of cargo space, and covers 125 miles on a single charge.
Following the Urban Delivery van is Urban Utility, a Class 3 van that will enter production in 2022.
Other companies are making electric vans, like Rivian who has a 100,000 unit order from Amazon, Canoo who has a model that will sell from $33,000, and Arrival in the UK. However, none has a production facility with a legacy as fascinating as ELMS’.
Renewable Brief 