Zeus Electric Chassis, a North American manufacturer of Classes 4-6 purpose-built, severe-duty, electric work truck solutions, is entering the Australian electric work truck market with its all-electric cab-chassis. The company made the announcement during this year’s Advanced Clean Transportation (ACT) Expo.
A memorandum of understanding (MOU) with AUSEV, a subsidiary of Boss Capital Holdings dedicated to the manufacture and distribution of electric vehicles, will provide opportunities for the companies to collaborate in the distribution, service, and marketing of the Zeus Electric Chassis in Australia and the broader Oceania market, Zeus executives said during ACT Expo.
Zeus will export a new, right-hand drive version of its Z-19 Power Platform to Australia as part of the MOU.
Boss Managing Director Edward Kocwa said an agreement, when signed, will unlock exciting opportunities to launch the electrified work truck market in Australia. A purchase commitment for 100 Zeus vehicles—a combination of fully assembled cab chassis and partially assembled knock-down kits (KDKs)—will be central to the agreement, Zeus stated. The MOU provides for the final assembly of the KDKs in Australia.
Moving forward, Zeus indicated it will continue to support the expansion of its product portfolio. As part of the impending agreement, Zeus will provide business development and marketing-related content, target market analysis, total cost of ownership and return on investment analyses, ongoing engineering support, and new options for chassis design.
Headquartered in White Bear Lake, Minnesota, Zeus recently introduced its all-electric Power Platform cab-chassis designed exclusively for the vocational work truck industry. Its Classes 4-6 cab chassis is designed from the ground up to accommodate a wide variety of truck bodies and to operate all traditional truck-mounted equipment.
In addition, Zeus had been awarded an executive order from the California Air Resources Board (CARB) for its model-year 2022 Z-19 and Z-22 all-electric work trucks. The Zeus Z-19 and Z-22 are all-electric cab chassis designed from the ground up to provide a severe-duty solution for vocational fleets transitioning Classes 5-6 diesel vehicles to zero emissions.
The Zeus cab chassis is configurable to accommodate existing and proven OEM bodies and is built to out-perform diesel counterparts and increase long-term return on equity of the work truck, the company said in a press release.
Tasked as the lead agency to oversee all air pollution control efforts in the state of California, CARB sets a high bar for vehicle emission compliance and documentation. The executive order is a written documentation of compliance with CARB regulations for vehicle emission standards, awarded to manufacturers for specific vehicle models and production years. Vehicles may be sold in California only if they have been awarded their EO after review by CARB.
The 2022 Zeus Z-19 and Z-22 have been included as eligible vehicles for California’s Hybrid and Zero-Emission Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Project (HVIP). This spring, the HVIP program released access to over $400 million in voucher incentives for zero-emission vehicles. The Class 5 Z-19 is eligible for a $60,000 voucher, and the Class 6 Z-22 is eligible for an $85,000 voucher.