REE Automotive to hold customer tests of electric van in Detroit
By Nick Carey
LONDON (Reuters) – REE Automotive, which develops rolling chassis for business electrical autos (EVs), mentioned on Tuesday that it’s going to begin buyer exams of its electrical walk-in van in Detroit this summer season to take orders for 2023 deliveries.
The Israeli startup mentioned the EV, constructed utilizing a physique designed by EAVX, a unit of U.S. business automobile physique maker JP Poindexter & Co., is constructed on its P7 platform.
CEO Daniel Barel advised Reuters it was essential for potential clients and companions resembling UPS, with which REE Automotive has been working since 2019, to check working fashions.
“For purchasers to order autos in magnitude, they should attempt it out,” Barel mentioned. “Particularly if it is a new expertise that no person else has, no person will signal an order earlier than they’ve pushed it.”
As an alternative of conventional axles, REE’s electrical automobile platform runs utilizing 4 separate wheels – with their very own steering, braking, suspension, powertrain and management – that enable its autos to have flatter bottoms, offering extra room for cargo.
The P7 platform is meant to energy EVs with payloads of as much as 8,800 kilos (3,992 kg), with a spread of 370 miles (595 km).
The startup is constructing a highly-automated meeting plant in Coventry in the UK this 12 months, adopted by one in Austin, Texas, in 2023.
As conventional automakers put together to churn out electrical vans and vehicles, startups are extra targeted than ever on discovering a aggressive or technological edge.
(Reporting by Nick Carey; enhancing by Jason Neely)
