Orange EV, a terminal truck manufacturer based in Kansas City, recently announced expansion of the company to meet growing demand for its electric vehicles. Driven by increased orders for the T-Series electric terminal truck, the company said it will more than double with up to 15 people filling production and business management roles by the end of 2015.
“To accommodate the growth, Orange EV is moving to a larger facility, substantially increasing the space available to build its emission-free electric trucks,” according to the company.
Orange EV also announced a $150,000 investment by the Missouri Technology Corporation ("MTC").
“The matching equity investment from MTC, as part of our current round of fundraising, helps us provide additional near-term production capacity as our customers ramp up use of our electric trucks,” said Wayne Mathisen, CEO, Orange EV. “Our company is already bringing new technology jobs to the state of Missouri and we’re looking forward to continued growth.”
Terminal trucks are built to move trailers and containers within cargo yards and may be found at rail centers, distribution centers, warehouses, ports, parcel service centers, logistics hubs, and manufacturing sites. Fleets know these trucks, which normally run on diesel, by many names including: spotter, hostler, buggy, yard truck, goat, tractor, mule, shunt and shuttle. They can work around the clock and diesel-powered versions often only achieve 4-6 miles to the gallon.
“Electric is a great solution for a terminal truck,” said Kurt Neutgens, chief technology officer, Orange EV. “The more you use them the more you save when replacing diesels with higher efficiency electric systems.”