There's a new medium-duty delivery van maker in town, and its name is change. Err, make that Chanje — same pronunciation — and the California company said it can produce its unibody construction, all-electric panel van "at mass scale" and already has volume orders to fill.
Chanje noted it co-developed the new V8070 van with Hong Kong-based FDG Electric Vehicle Limited and claimed the vehicle can save up to 70% on maintenance and fuel costs compared with a diesel van. "We have an opportunity to meaningfully overhaul the last-mile industry and completely revolutionize how that facet of transportation impacts the environment," Chanje CEO Bryan Hansel stated in a release.
It's quite a tall order, and whether the company can fill it — or EVs will be able to turn some greater momentum this year into real traction in trucking — remains to be seen. Meanwhile, the company said it ambitiously plans to offer "energy as a service" renewable energy and charging capabilities for large fleet customers, including charging infrastructure, energy storage and grid services.
The V8070 is the first offering, but the EV maker contended it will "subsequently introduce a full range of electric models including larger trucks and shuttle buses in a variety of lengths and capacities, all aimed at the urban vehicle market." What's more, Chanje is hunting for a U.S. assembly plant site, the company said, in "multiple states near port facilities west of the Mississippi."
Here's more in a video introducing the V8070:
