A Look Back on Lightning’s Momentous 2021
Lightning Lists on New York Stock Exchange Under $ZEV
Lightning eMotors’ CEO Tim Reeser and members of the company’s executive team today rang the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) to celebrate the zero-emission commercial vehicle manufacturer’s listing on the exchange earlier this month.
“Trading on the exchange and ringing the bell on Wall Street are big milestones for our company,” said Tim Reeser, CEO of Lightning eMotors. “However, we remain focused on the task at hand. In the past six months, we’ve added 22 new fleet customers, giving us an overall total of 46 fleet customers. We have vehicles on the road in 17 different market segments, including corporate and educational campus transit, micro and mass transit, middle-mile and last-mile delivery, airport shuttles, food trucks, postal delivery, and electrical services. Many of our customers also are placing repeat orders after successful initial deployments.”
DHL Express Deploys Nearly 100 New Lightning Electric Delivery Vans in U.S
DHL Express – the world’s leading provider of international express shipping services – continues making investments to meet its ambitious goals for emissions reduction and climate protection. Following a successful initial pilot program using nine Lightning Electric Transit 350HD electric vans in the U.S. late last year, the company plans to deploy another 89 electric vehicles this year in New York and California.
“We’re aiming to improve the lives of people where they live and work, using clean pickup and delivery solutions – such as electric vehicles and cargo cycles – for our first- and last-mile services,” said DHL Express U.S. CEO Greg Hewitt. “With the successful deployment of the first nine pilot vehicles, we are excited to expand our electric delivery van footprint and continue to drive forward our corporate roadmap to decarbonization.”
Lightning eMotors and Forest River Inc. Reach Multiyear Agreement for up to $850M in Zero-Emission Bus Technology Plus Charging Products and Services
Lightning and Forest River, a Berkshire Hathaway company and the largest shuttle bus manufacturer in North America, enter strategic partnership to deliver up to 7,500 zero-emission Class 4 and Class 5 buses across the U.S. and Canada. The agreement, with a potential estimated value of up to $850 million, calls for Lightning eMotors to build fully electric powertrains and provide charging products, and services for Forest River over the next four and a half years. Lightning eMotors will manufacture
the zero-emission-vehicle (“ZEV”) powertrain systems at their 231,000 square foot facility in Loveland, Colorado and ship the powertrains to Forest River’s factory in Goshen, Indiana, for final assembly of the Class 4 and 5 all-electric passenger buses. Forest River is the leading shuttle bus market leader in North America, with eight manufacturing buildings and more than 500,000 square feet of production space. The Elkhart, Indiana-based company has plans to dedicate 100,000 square feet to install Lightning eMotors’ powertrains.
“This has the potential to be the largest contract ever in the electric shuttle bus market, and we believe it will be the catalyst for other large commercial vehicle OEMs and fleets to accelerate their adoption of commercial electric vehicles,” said Tim Reeser, CEO of Lightning eMotors. “Forest River’s family of shuttle bus companies, including top name brands like Starcraft, Glaval, and Champion, maintain a dominant market position selling over 10,000 units per year in the Class 4 to 6 shuttle-bus space. Forest River’s sales volumes allow us to provide a price point to their dealers and customers that results in a very compelling ROI. We believe this commitment from the largest shuttle bus manufacturer in the U.S. demonstrates that they believe that commercial vehicle customers are now demanding Lightning eMotors’ zero-emission vehicles over ICE vehicles.”
Lightning eMotors Enters the Electric School Bus Space
Lightning and Collins® expect to deploy more than 100 all-electric Type A school buses across U.S. and Canada over the next few years. The agreement includes an initial firm order commitment worth approximately $11M over the next two years. Collins Bus is a market leader in the Type A school bus space and has deployed more than 70,000 buses over the last 50 years across the United States and Canada.
“School districts across the U.S. and Canada are eager to introduce zero-emission electric buses,” said Brian Perry, president, REV Commercial Segment. “In addition to being clean, green, and sustainable, electric school buses are quiet, efficient, and much less expensive to maintain. We’re pleased to be working with Lightning eMotors to provide districts with the all-electric buses their students, drivers, and communities want.”
Proterra battery technology to power Lightning eMotors Electric Transit commercial van
Proterra, a leading innovator in commercial vehicle electrification technology, and Lightning eMotors today announced a new collaboration to power the Generation 4 Lightning Electric Transit commercial van using Proterra’s industry-leading battery technology. The Lightning Electric Transit commercial van is a purpose-built Class 3 commercial electric vehicle, that is available in several popular configurations like last-mile cargo vans, passenger vans, shuttle buses, ambulances, school buses and RVs.
“Proterra is excited to work with a market leader like Lightning eMotors to help power even more commercial electric vehicles,” said Gareth Joyce, President of Proterra Powered & Energy. “Together, we’re showcasing how American electric vehicle manufacturers are accelerating the shift to a clean transportation future. We look forward to building our relationship together as we support Lightning eMotors in the development of electric delivery vans, school buses, ambulances, and other vehicles.”
Lightning eMotors to Produce Electric Ambulances
Commercial vehicle manufacturers Lightning eMotors and REV Group, Inc. announce they are co-developing zero-emission, all-electric ambulances with Leader Emergency Vehicles™, a REV Group subsidiary. Available to government agencies, municipalities, commercial operators, hospitals, and non-profit organizations, delivery to customers is expected to be at the end of this calendar year.
“Electrification is reaching all different types of fleet vehicles, and ambulances are a logical next step,” said Tim Reeser, CEO of Lightning eMotors. “These zero-emission vehicles are powerful, smooth, and quiet, and drivers will love them. As a fully electric model, they have no tailpipe emissions, so it’s a healthier choice for the air you breathe as well.”
Lightning eMotors to Provide DC Fast Chargers
The high-output 20 kW to 350 kW DC fast chargers will be available via Lightning Energy, a division of Colorado-based Lightning eMotors. Lightning Energy supplies charging solutions to commercial and government fleets. As a part of the agreement, Lightning Energy will sell ABB’s DC fast-charging systems under the Lightning Energy brand. The fully interoperable DC fast chargers, designed and built by ABB, are equipped with around-the-clock connectivity to enable comprehensive remote services and compatibility with every individual fleet charging system.
“In working with ABB, we’re able to offer some of the best EV charging systems available, which pair extremely well with the DC fast-charge capabilities of Lightning eMotors’ vehicles,” said Brandon McNeil, vice president of Lightning Energy. “ABB’s chargers offer the highest reliability in the industry, are supported by a widespread service network and come equipped with the latest connectivity capabilities that enable remote services and business integration. Their technology will be a key piece of our portfolio as we provide a complete fleet electrification solution to our customers.”
Lightning eMotors to Sell Electric Commercial Vehicles in Hawaii
Lightning eMotors, a leading provider of specialty commercial electric vehicles for fleets, has signed a new exclusive partnership with Soderholm Bus & Mobility in Hawaii to provide Lightning eMotors’ zero-emission powertrains for their commercial van and bus customers. Soderholm Bus & Mobility, headquartered on Oahu, is the No. 1 bus distributor in the Pacific Islands and has sold more buses over the last 30 years than any other dealer.
“Lightning eMotors’ new and repowered products give us the flexibility we need to provide sustainable transportation systems to the Pacific Islands,” said Erik Soderholm, co-owner and vice president of Soderholm Bus & Mobility. “Hawaii is making big investments in sustainable energy, and zero-emission transportation is the next step the islands have to take to meet their targets.”
Lightning eMotors Delivers First All-Electric Motorcoach to ABC Companies, Receives Order for 200 Zero Emissions Vehicles
Lightning eMotors (“Lightning eMotors” or the “Company”), a leading provider of commercial electric vehicles for fleets, today announced a $45 million order for its zero-emission powertrain systems from Faribault, Minnesota-based motorcoach supplier ABC Companies. The order includes a mix of new vehicles manufactured by Lightning eMotors, as well as new zero-emission powertrain systems developed by Lightning eMotors to be upfit by ABC Companies into customers’ previously operated vehicles.
“The first motorcoach delivered has met the high expectations many of our customers have,” said Roman Cornell, president and chief commercial officer of ABC Companies. “It has excellent power, over 200 miles of range on a charge, and Lightning’s energy division can support installation of fast-charging systems that meet our customer’s stringent requirements. This agreement demonstrates our commitment to work together with Lightning eMotors and sets our order plans for the next 24 months.”
Lightning eMotors to provide commercial electric vehicles to United Kingdom customers
The agreement calls for Lightning eMotors to build fully electric powertrains at their 231,000 square foot facility in Loveland, Colorado for shipment to the UK. Ricardo will then assemble and integrate those powertrains into medium duty commercial fleet vehicles at one of its state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in the UK. Ricardo will also source key components for the EV assembly from UK manufacturers, leveraging the company’s world-renowned expertise in managing complex supply chains in critical electric vehicle components.
“The UK market is especially well-suited for commercial vehicle electrification because the return on investment for fleets is so fast,” said Tim Reeser, CEO of Lightning eMotors. “With fuel prices that are more than double that of the US, and Zero Emission Zones in London and other cities that charge a daily fee to non-zero-emission vehicles, this market will be one of the fastest growing Commercial ZEV markets in the world.”
Lightning eMotors Enters Canada’s Commercial EV Market with Fully Electric Refrigerated Delivery Vehicles
Lightning customer Goodfood Market Corp., Canada’s leading online grocery company, becomes the first private entity in Canada to deploy fully electric refrigerated delivery vans. The Lightning Electric Class 3 Transit vans provide last-mile delivery through a partnership with Volta Air Technology for custom-built refrigeration capability. 
“We knew right away Lightning eMotors was the right partner to develop vehicles to help us meet our specific needs and support our larger payloads,” said Goodfood President and Chief Operating Officer, Neil Cuggy. “As market leaders in our respective industries, Goodfood and Lightning share a vision of challenging the status quo. This partnership allowed us to leap ahead in support of Canada’s shift to all zero-emissions electric vehicles by 2035. Our drivers have already told us that this fleet of delivery vans are great to drive and are meeting our customer needs. Based on this early feedback, we are looking forward to the possibility of expanding this fleet in the near future.”
Lightning eMotors Develops Largest Battery All-Electric Double-Decker Motor Coach Available
The first delivery to Lux Bus America in Anaheim, CA will be a Van Hool TD925 repowered double-decker electrified by Lightning eMotors from diesel to all-electric. It touts a 640 kWh battery capacity, the largest known to exist for a vehicle of its type, an estimated range of over 200 miles, and a charge time of under six hours with a 150 kW DC fast charger. The coach has a seating capacity of 70 people.
“We are thrilled to have had the chance to partner with Lightning eMotors on this important project,” said Roman Cornell, President and Chief Commercial Officer of ABC Companies. “The first repowered motor coach that Lightning delivered has performed superbly while meeting range, noise and performance targets to seamlessly integrate within transitioning fleets of new electric and existing combustion-powered coaches.”
Lightning eMotors Announces Strategic EV Battery Partnership for Supply of CATL Battery Systems
CATL products chosen due to their proven track record for safety, reliability, and long life-cycle. Agreement further diversifies Lightning eMotors’ battery pack options, enhancing the company’s ability to produce and deliver new vehicles at a faster pace. Lightning eMotors working with CATL and CSI to design and install contactor safety switch systems on C- and G-battery pack, exclusive to Lightning eMotors. 
“CATL has a proven lineup of battery pack configurations that will provide us with additional flexibility for our wide range of medium- and heavy-duty zero-emission commercial electric vehicles,” said Chelsea Ramm, Lightning eMotors’ vice president of global supply chain. “CATL’s mature product portfolio, combined with our existing and ongoing partnerships, provides us with several efficient battery pack options as we work with customers to configure the right vehicles to fit their needs.”