Ricardo and Lightning eMotors, a leading US-based provider of medium-duty commercial electric vehicles for fleets, entered into a strategic partnership agreement to deploy commercial electric vehicles in the UK, a market with more than 700,000 commercial vehicles in operation today.

The agreement calls for Lightning eMotors to build fully electric powertrains at its 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 manufacturing facilities in the UK. Ricardo will also source key components for the EV assembly from UK manufacturers, leveraging the company’s expertise in managing complex supply chains in critical electric vehicle components.

bp’s Pulse division is able to support this partnership by offering fast charging through its existing network of 7,000 chargers in the UK and deploying charging and microgrid solutions for these customers.

Lightning eMotors powertrains support commercial vehicles ranging from class 3 vans to class 6 trucks to class 8 motor coaches. The powertrains will feature battery configurations from 80 kWh to more than 600 kWh using industry-leading lithium-ion battery technology with liquid thermal management systems.

These vehicles support ranges on a single charge between 60 and more than 200 miles and can recharge over a lunch break using Lightning eMotors’ DC fast charge infrastructure with integrated vehicle-to-grid (V2G) capabilities. Other features include a modern digital-dash display, hill-hold functionality for safety, advanced telematics, analytics, and a mobile app for drivers and fleet managers.