British electric vehicle manufacturer Arrival has announced a contract to produce some 3,000 electric vans for cars-as-a-service provider LeasePlan.
The vans will add to LeasePlan’s global fleet of almost two million vehicles of which one-quarter are light commercial vehicles.
“Demand for online shopping is skyrocketing,” says Tex Gunning, CEO of LeasePlan, “but this demand has to be met responsibly, and concerns about pollution from delivery vehicles need to be addressed. I’m therefore delighted to be partnering with Arrival, which will see LeasePlan delivering some of the greenest, cleanest and truly innovative eLCVs to our customers. Together we are going to revolutionise the fast-growing eLCV market and make zero-emission deliveries part and parcel of the new normal.”
Arrival President and Chief Strategy Officer Avinash Rugoobur adds, “Arrival is thrilled to be partnering with a fellow company leading the charge to accelerate the transition to zero-emissions vehicles, bringing sustainable mobility and cleaner air to cities around the world.”
Arrival’s manufacturing model is based around rapidly scalable “microfactories” which it says will allow the order to be fulfilled by Q3 this year. And by using proprietary in-house developed components, materials, and software, Arrival claims its vehicles are competitively priced compared to fossil fuel variants and offer substantially lower total cost of ownership.
“This shows Arrival’s method is truly game-changing and can roll out in multiple locations rapidly. With this new partnership,” adds Rugoobur, “Arrival will be able to deepen and expand our presence globally, working with LeasePlan to bring the best possible products to its customers and in turn helping them to achieve their own sustainability goals.”
Arrival is planning to deploy four microfactories across the world, with two in the US, as well as sites in Bicester and Madrid.
