Electric delivery van production begins in St. Joseph County

MISHAWAKA, Ind. (Inside INdiana Business) — A re-tooled factory at the former AM General plant in Mishawaka where the civilian Hummers were once manufactured has started to produce electric-powered delivery vans. Michigan-based Electric Last Mile Solutions Inc. (Nasdaq: ELMS) says it started production of its Urban Delivery Class 1 EVs on Monday. It says the first units will be shipped next Tuesday.

“From the outset, we stated that our goal was to deliver the first commercial Class 1 EV to the U.S. market, and with the start of production this week we will achieve that milestone,” said ELMS Chief Executive Officer James Taylor. “This order is reflective of the work that we do with our customers and sales channel partners to understand and meet their unique business needs.”

The company says the vans are intended for “last mile” deliveries and has agreements with several e-commerce and package delivery companies. ELMS says it has received a binding purchase order for 1,000 units from Randy Marion Automotive Group, one of the largest commercial fleet dealers in the U.S.

“There is no doubt that the commercial last mile delivery market is demanding electric vehicles and ELMS is leading the charge,” said Randy Marion, founder and CEO of Randy Marion Automotive Group. “Our customers are excited to get their hands on the Urban Delivery vehicle for their many use cases, including e-commerce transportation, utilities, telecommunications and other commercial vehicle applications.”

Earlier this year, the ELMS said it 45,000 non-binding pre-orders for the EVs. ELMS says the van is anticipated to have approximately 150 miles of range and priced at $25,000 after a federal rebate intended to entice consumers to purchase electric vehicles.