Back in January, REE Automotive began testing a new electric vehicle chassis for trucks and buses dubbed the P7. Now the company has teamed up with JB Poindexter's EAVX and Morgan Olson to begin live demonstrations and customer evaluations of a new walk-in step van prototype based on the platform.
The P7 platform has been developed for Class 3 to 5 vehicles with payloads up to 8,800 lb (3,991.6 kg) and a per-charge range of up to 370 miles (595.5 km). REEcorners technology sees a motor, brakes, suspension and steering system all crammed into compact corner units bolted behind each wheel.
For the Promixa walk-in step van prototype, the super-flat x-by-wire skateboard chassis comes with a 120-kWh battery pack for a per-charge driving range of 125 miles (200 km) and sports four 100-kW motors – each producing 100 lb.ft (136 Nm) of peak torque and combining to get the vehicle up to a top speed of 75 mph (120 km/h).
The brand new body for the all-wheel-drive electric commercial delivery van is a joint effort from EAVX and Morgan Olson that's designed to deliver "a significant reduction in drag for maximum efficiency without compromising functionality."
The dash, windshield and side/rear-view screens have been optimized for maximum visibility and blind-spot reduction, while a single control system allows connected technologies to communicate with each other and aid the driver.
The Class 5 vehicle measures 28.4 ft (8.7 m) long, 7.74 ft (2.4 m) wide and 9.3 ft (2.9 m) high, and can haul up to 8,000 lb (3,630 kg) of cargo in back. It rolls on 19.5-inch wheels, and offers a relatively tight turning radius of 25.26 ft (7.7 m) thanks to all-wheel steering and torque vectoring.
Fleet operators and tech companies are now being given the opportunity to see the Proxima prototype in action and book customer evaluations, ahead of production and availability during 2023.
"These events are an incredible opportunity for leading delivery companies and fleet managers to see firsthand how Proxima paired with the REE chassis can answer the call for electrification options that are quick, efficient and offer a low total cost of ownership," said REE's co-founder and CEO, Daniel Barel. "These live demonstrations will convey the value and efficiencies REE’s x-by-wire technology can bring to fleets, as well as the power of pairing this revolutionary chassis with EAVX and Morgan Olson’s high-tech body. We’re so excited to get it on the road – and to help future-proof commercial fleets as they electrify."
The video below has more.
Source: REE Automotive
'It rolls on 19.5-inch wheels, and offers a relatively tight turning radius of 25.26 ft (7.7 m) thanks to all-wheel steering and torque vectoring.'
Comment:
With the exception of 19.5" wheels, which wouldn't be quite the thing for, say, a VW Caddy sized van,
the above set-up should be adopted for all vehicles, if not, at least of city-servicing ones.