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Medium- and heavy-duty vehicles account for about 23 percent of vehicle emissions in the United States. This is far less than the amount of greenhouse gases emitted each year by light-duty vehicles, but companies can often make a clearer case for electrification, whether it is to save money on annual operating costs or to meet ESG targets. The annual Advanced Clean Transportation Expo is currently underway in Las Vegas, and Motiv Electric Trucks yesterday unveiled the production version of its new medium-duty modular electric vehicle, the Argo.
Motiv has been around since 2009 and sells electric motors for school buses, minivans, box trucks and even trolleys. It is now branching out with its own vehicle, the modular Argo, capable of carrying up to 14,000 pounds (6,350 kg) with a range of up to 200 miles (321 km).
“We went overnight from a company that primarily served a narrow segment of the $20 billion medium-duty truck market to a company that can serve almost that entire market,” Motiv CEO Scott Griffith said. “The launch of Argo is a transformative moment for our company as we can now offer more vehicles and options to help more fleet customers achieve their sustainability goals.”
The Argo looks somewhat futuristic – certainly compared to minivans or box trucks – and has an integrated cab body design. Argo says maximizing visibility was a key design goal, with low windows on the curb side, plus the option of side-view cameras as well as passive mirrors. There are also design features aimed at improving driver safety as well, including safety handrails and self-cleaning interior steps to help prevent what Motiv says are the most common operator injuries.
Rolling structure.
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The large windshield helps reduce blind spots.
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Motiv has tried to make entry and exit safer.
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“Many fleet customers have pointed out how simple the design of our new Gen 6 architecture looks, how low our copper use is and how good our cable routing is, how easy it is to access our patented Smart Hub, and how easy it is to access our software,” said Jim Castelas. Motiv Founder and CTO: “It took us many years to improve the integration and quality of cable routing; Now our customers can finally reap the benefits.”
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Motiv developed the Argo’s powertrain in collaboration with Japanese company Nidec. Although Nidec originally designed the electric motor to operate at 800 volts, Motiv has developed a new control algorithm that allows it to operate at 350 volts instead, which it previously told Ars is more cost-effective. The battery pack uses lithium iron phosphate (LFP) chemistry and was developed in collaboration with Our Next Energy.
The Argo comes in a range of wheelbases, from 178 inches (4,521 mm) to 252 inches (6,400 mm), with curb height and low profile options for almost any application you might want a midsize truck for, Motif says. Pricing will depend on the number of trucks a customer orders as well as specifications, but Motiv told Ars it “will be competitively priced with other Class 6 electric trucks.”
