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New 100-mile electric van matches diesel vans on price, Workhorse says [arstechnica.com]

Electric-vehicle maker Workhorse announced today that it has begun initial production of a 100-mile range electric delivery truck called the NGEN-1000. The truck is meant to replace diesel-powered delivery trucks, but this vehicle weighs less than half of what a comparable internal combustion van usually weighs.

Further ReadingWorkhorse brings an electric pickup truck, helicopter to Manhattan [arstechnica.com]In a press release, Workhorse said that it "believes this weight reduction, coupled with the 100-mile range, will have cost-savings implications that will make the EV alternative to traditional fleet delivery vehicles all the more appealing."

Workhorse CEO Stephen S. Burns added that the van would have "an off-the-lot cost on par with traditional fuel delivery vehicles, and substantial savings from there."

The truck will come in four sizes, up to a maximum of 1,000 cubic feet of storage. It also has all-wheel-drive and a 6,000-pound carrying capacity.

Workhorse may be relatively new to the electric-vehicle space, but it's not new to building custom vehicles. Workhorse was originally owned by Navistar, and it built step vans and motorhome chassis [archive.org]. But it was purchased in 2015 by AMP Electric Vehicles. Since then, the company has promised that "All Workhorse vehicles are designed to make the movement of people and goods more efficient and less harmful to the environment."

Workhorse has an ambitious roster of potential projects, too; earlier this summer it showed off prototype versions of an electric helicopter and an electric pickup truck [arstechnica.com].

In February, Workhorse signed an agreement [arstechnica.com] with UPS to deliver fifty 100-mile-range electric trucks for testing in Los Angeles, Dallas, and Atlanta through 2019. At the time, the company noted that it purchased battery cells from Panasonic (Panasonic also partners with Tesla to supply battery cells for its vehicles). Workhorse assembles the battery packs in-house.

Daimler has also recently announced short-range (62-mile) electric trucks called the Fuso eCanter. UPS was an initial customer for Daimler's vehicles [arstechnica.com].

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