The crush of demand for so-called last-mile deliveries accelerated by the Covid-19 pandemic has led a leading builder of commercial vehicles and chassis to create a brand for a new slate of battery-electric offerings.
The Shyft Group, based in the Detroit suburb of Novi, Mich., announced Wednesday it has created the new Blue Arc EV Solutions Brand. Its first three products to be sold under that brand are a purpose-built commercial EV chassis, a fully-built Class 3 electric walk-in delivery van and a mobile recharging unit called Power Cube.
Shyft CEO Daryl Adams discussed the company’s move with Forbes.com ahead of its official unveiling of Blue Arc and its initial products at the NTEA Work Truck Week trade show in Indianapolis. He explained the creation of both Blue Arc and its EV product line grew out of demand from Shyft’s customers and his company’s inability to find an appropriate chassis.
