Commercial fleet giant Ryder and Workhorse Group today announced a 10-year strategic partnership agreement under which Ryder will become the primary distributor and provider of service and support for Workhorse light and medium duty range-extended electric vehicles in North America.
Workhorse, which will be revealing its W-15 electric concept pickup today at ACT Expo in Long Beach, Calif., manufactures and sells the E-1oo battery-electric and E-GEN range-extended electric vehicles.
The W-15, the first plug-in, battery-electric range-extended pickup truck built from the ground up by an American original equipment manufacturer, delivers 460 horsepower and an estimated 75MPGe. Hard Working Trucks will provide a test-drive report later tonight.
Ryder will be the primary provider of service and support for Workhorse vehicles in the United States, Canada and Mexico and join the Workhorse W-15 leadership council. Ryder will also serve as the primary distributor of the E-1oo, E-GEN and W-15 electric pickup in North America.
“Ryder is a leading maintenance provider of advanced vehicle technologies that maximize both cost-efficiency and environmental sustainability for our customers,” said Scott Perry, chief technology and procurement officer at Ryder. “Workhorse brings not only a strong track record in range-extended electric medium-duty vehicles with the E-100 and E-GEN, but also a strong future in the light-duty market with the rang-extended W-15 electric pickup.
“We’re excited to include Workhorse’s innovative range-extended electric vehicles into our distribution and service network. This new strategic partnership will help us expand our advanced vehicle technology portfolio of innovative solutions within the commercial transportation industry.”
Earlier this year, UPS and Workhorse demonstrated the first UPS home package delivery using the Workhorse E-GEN with fully integrated Horsefly autonomous drone system. The Workhorse E-GEN step van achieves 30 MPGe fuel efficiency, making it up to six times more efficient than typical gasoline-powered step vans in use today.
“Our partnership with Ryder represents an important milestone for Workhorse as we seek to transition to commercial scale. With 800 locations in North America, Ryder is the leader in service, support and parts availability, and this multi-level partnership provides current and future customers access to that proven network,” said Stephen Burns, CEO of Workhorse. “We believe that this partnership will also open distribution to a wide range of national, regional and local fleets looking to save fuel and maintenance costs by integrating electric Workhorse step vans and pickup trucks.”