Commercial EV manufacturer Electric Last Mile Solutions (ELMS) has announced plans to offer a bundled commercial EV option that features Ample’s modular battery swap capabilities on ELMS’ commercial EVs. With different service options planned, customers will soon be able to choose the best option to support their fleet efficiency.
Electric Last Mile Solutions (ELMS) is a Michigan-based commercial EV manufacturer focused on last-mile deliveries. The company got its official Nasdaq ticker in June as a result of a SPAC merger with Forum Merger III Corporation (FIII) announced last fall.
In September, ELMS began production on its flagship Class 1 Urban Delivery EV at its Mishawaka, Indiana, facility, with 1,000 binding orders already in place. This follows the 45,000 pre-orders Electrek previously reported. The commercial EV company has since begun delivering the first Urban Delivery vans to customers.
Ample is a battery swap technology company that has set out on a goal to put 1 billion EVs on the road. In 2018, Ample got off and running on this quest with $31 million in Series A funding from Shell Ventures.
Since then, the company’s venture capital has surpassed $70 million… some would say that’s more more than ample.
Most recently, Ample has rolled out its autonomous battery swap stations in the San Francisco Bay area, and has been working with ride-share companies like Sally to implement battery swaps in New York City.
Next, Ample looks to apply its battery swaps to commercial EVs by bundling its service alongside Electric Last Mile Solutions.
ELMS and Ample collaborate on commercial EV battery swap bundle
In a press release from ELMS, the EV automaker shared news of its latest collaboration with Ample to implement its battery swap technology as a commercial EV option for its fleet customers.
According to the parties, this will be the first bundled offering of commercial EV solutions equipped with battery swap capabilities.
Future fleets that deploy ELMS’ Class 1 commercial EVs will soon be able to opt into an Energy-as-a-Service (EaaS) solution that features Ample’s battery swap technology.
ELMS has stated that this EaaS solution would lower the initial vehicle cost to its customers, and allow them the opportunity to only pay for the energy they consume.
Additionally, ELMS and Ample have also shared plans to explore a full Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) bundle. If implemented, this would give fleet customers the option to forgo vehicle ownership altogether, and simply pay by the mile. Jonathan Ballon, chief strategy officer at ELMS, said:
By pairing Ample’s and ELMS’ market-leading solutions, customers will now have a choice between full Mobility-as-a-Service or Energy-as-a-Service offerings that allow them to own or operate their vehicle at a significant discount. These offerings align with our vision to deliver unique, innovative solutions in hardware and software for our fleet customers.
ELMS and Ample plan to begin customer test drives and battery swap demonstrations in San Francisco using ELMS’ Urban Delivery Class 1 commercial EV later this year.
A full rollout of the EaaS bundle is scheduled for the second quarter of 2022.
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