Workhorse Electric Vehicles Have Been Driven Over 20 Million Miles

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Much of the electric vehicle news is about personal transportation: mostly because the majority of individual adults own and operate a car, SUV, or pickup truck. Some have ebikes or electric motorcycles as well, but, overall, they are not used nearly as much for transportation.

It’s actually the fleet vehicles where electric vehicles excel because they often are only driven on shorter routes at lower speeds and are used to drive the same or similar routes repeatedly. Also, driving much of the day, benefits from cheaper “fuel” can add up to a lot. Internal combustion engines using gasoline waste most of their energy, and electric motors are much more energy efficient. Additionally, electric vehicles usually have some form of regenerative braking, so they can send some of their electricity back to their own batteries. Gas-powered vehicles don’t have this capability.

For more on this topic, Workhorse CEO Scott Griffith has answered some questions about its electric vehicles for CleanTechnica.

What electric vehicles do you manufacture and who are your customers?

Workhorse builds electric trucks, shuttles and buses (Classes 4-6) that are powerful, cost-efficient, reliable, safe and comfortable – all with zero tailpipe emissions and pollution. Today, 10 of the largest medium duty truck fleets in North America have deployed Workhorse vehicles, including Purolator, Vestis (formerly Aramark Uniform Services), Cintas, FedEx Express and several FedEx independent service providers, as well as other leading brands.

How many electric vehicles have you manufactured so far and how many more do you plan to in the next five years?

Workhorse (the combined Motiv and Workhorse) has cumulatively produced and delivered into service 1,100+ electric vehicles. The company sells through a national network of dealers and plans to continue to increase the number of vehicles deployed to customers.

Do your fleet EVs typically have a lower total cost of ownership than gas and diesel versions of the same or similar vehicles?

Workhorse believes medium duty trucking is the sweet spot for electrification based on range, charging, duty cycle and Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) advantage; EVs are well-suited for the Medium-Duty market, offering cost savings, operational efficiencies and public benefit.

The company has documented significant (64% lower) operating cost advantages compared to ICE via its ownership and operation of W56 trucks of Stables by Workhorse, a FedEx Delivery Contractor, whose fleet includes both Workhorse electric vehicles and ICE vehicles.

Workhorse is currently developing a pathway to lower cost production via commonized hardware and software, economies of scale and synergies resulting from the merger.

What is the typical battery size, and battery chemistry for your vehicles?

Workhorse’s vehicles use different sized batteries, but they are all Lithium-Iron Phosphate batteries. The W56 truck features a 210 kWh battery, and the EPIC4 series utilizes a 127 kWh battery.

What is the typical range and cost?

Range depends on the type of vehicle, the route and the payload. For instance, a school bus with 16 children will have a different profile than a step van full of packages. Our step vans are rated for 150 mile range on a full charge, fully loaded. In reality, however, we frequently see even better range performance, which we believe is due, in part, to the performance of our regenerative braking system.

About what is the average lifespan of your electric vehicles?

The typical expected life of a last-mile delivery truck is 12-15 years, although many fleets hope/ask it to last longer. We don’t yet have enough operating data to quantify the “average” lifespan of our own vehicles.

Once the battery in one of your vehicles wears out, can the battery be repurposed for stationary energy storage?

The potential for battery reuse at end of life is still unclear. However, there is a growing market for battery recycling. Redwood Materials, for instance, is developing a business model for used batteries, and it’s a marketplace we’re watching closely. Depending on if, and how much, value can be derived from a battery at the end of its life, the Total Cost of Ownership could improve even more.

What is the typical warranty for your vehicles?

The warranty is dependent upon the vehicle model and whether or not it’s a base model or an upgraded model, but the warranty period ranges from 1 year (or 12,000 miles, whichever comes first) for base models to 3 years (or 50,000 miles, whichever comes first) for topline upgraded models.

How many employees do you have?

We have about 200 employees at several locations in North America.

Do you manufacture your vehicles in the US?

Yes, Workhorse designs and builds its vehicles in the United States at the Workhorse Ranch in Union City, Indiana.