From atop Mt. Olympus, er, White Bear Lake, Minnesota, Zeus Electric Chassis, Inc. (Zeus) and EAVX have announced a partnership to develop all-electric vocational truck solutions.
EAVX is the newest business unit of JB Poindexter & Co (JBPCO), collaborating with the most advanced electric and alternative power chassis producers—like Zeus—allowing partners to focus on their revolutionary and proprietary technologies.
In this partnership, joint development efforts will focus on integration of the JBPCO commercial truck bodies, utility truck bodies, and vehicle cargo management systems with the Zeus Power Platform—an all-electric cab chassis. Zeus will also leverage JBPCO’s North American operational footprint to help it establish a nationwide service and support network for Zeus products.
“We have a proven history of creating and servicing excellent work truck and commercial vehicle bodies and accessories, and we are now expanding our capabilities to provide additional alternative energy solutions through this partnership with Zeus Electric Chassis,” said John B. Poindexter, CEO and Chairman, JB Poindexter & Co.
The non-exclusive collaboration agreement will initially focus on the Zeus Z-19 (Class 5, 19,500lb GVWR – gross vehicle weight rating) and Z-22 (Class 6, 22,300lb GVWR), and will expand quickly to the Z-26 (Class 6, 26,000lb GVWR)—designed from the ground-up and available with a variety of cab options.
To start, market penetration will utilize current and next-gen JBPCO-body designs and will be available for commercial fleet pilot programs in 2022.
“The vocational work truck industry is poised for a step function change towards electrification. It’s more than simply installing existing OEM (original equipment manufacturer) bodies on an electric vehicle (EV) chassis—it’s taking a holistic approach and collaborating with industry leaders such as JBPCO and bringing innovative next generation solutions to market,” stated Bill Brandt, the Zeus Chief Revenue Officer.
Zeus offers fully-configurable Class 4, 5 and 6 all-electric vocational work truck cab-chassis’. It works with leading vocational work truck body manufacturers to bring effective EV solutions to industry fleets that can out-perform its diesel counterparts. The Zeus Power Platform is a ground-up design that offers holistic integration of both mechanical and engineered systems between the cab-chassis, body, and auxiliary functions, including a suite of telematics software solutions.
Collaborating with forward-thinking and innovative OEM body companies such as JBPCO, Zeus will deliver market-leading productivity, safety, and speed-to-market with each product launch.
“As EAVX works with the most advanced alternative energy chassis producers, having a partner like Zeus is beneficial, with their holistic approach to integration of systems between the cab-chassis and the body,” said Mark Hope, EAVX COO and General Manager. “Zeus will enable us to demonstrate innovative severe-duty EV work truck solutions in 2022 with plans for commercialized units and trade shows.”
For more information on Zeuss Electric Chassis, visit www.zeuselectricchassis.com.
Further information on JB Poindexter and EAVX can be found at www.jbpoindexter.com/eavx.