Exro Technologies Inc. has reached an agreement for up to 2,500 units with electric bus manufacturer Vicinity Motor Corp.
Vicinity Motor Corp. is a supplier of advanced shuttle transportation vehicles for public and commercial use. Its flagship product, the Vicinity Lightning™, is a purpose-built electric bus that is using sustainable and affordable components. Exro Technologies says Vicinity maintains a majority market share in the mid-size heavy-duty bus segment in Canada and will be able to produce more than 1,000 electric vehicle (EV) units annually from its facilities in Ferndale, Washington and Aldergrove, British Columbia.
Under this multiyear sales and service agreement, Vicinity will purchase high-voltage Coil Drive System units from Exro, along with a production slot, system pricing and commissioning services. Exro’s Vehicle Systems division will provide system engineering consulting services to integrate the electric powertrain for Vicinity’s fleet of next-generation electric buses. News of this deal follows a previously announced supply agreement under which the companies have completed nearly 12 months of development and testing to conduct operational validation for the Vicinity Lightning™ electric bus.
The agreement commences with a first lot purchase order of 100 units. Over the 36-month term of the agreement, Exro will plan to deliver an increasing volume of its Coil Drive System for up to 2,500 units that includes both a Coil Driver™ and an electric motor, which were designed to meet Vicinity's specific requirements to deploy clean, affordable and accessible electric buses across North America.
“We’re pleased to advance our partnership with Exro, a leader in the space for e-mobility power electronics,” said William Trainer, founder, and CEO of Vicinity Motor Corp. “I look forward to working closely with Exro’s talented team of engineers to make our electric buses, equipped with their intelligent power optimization systems, synonymous with North American public transit.”
Exro Technologies says the Coil Driver is an award-winning dynamic smart controller that can eliminate the need for multiple motors across all EVs, allowing manufacturers like Vicinity to achieve more acceleration, gradeability, high-speed torque and better efficiencies while reducing the number of costly power electronics inside the vehicle. Automotive-grade Coil Driver units will be manufactured at Exro’s manufacturing facility in Calgary. The 37,000-square-foot facility utilizes clean energy solutions including solar power and battery energy storage with a net-zero carbon emissions objective.
Exro will also support the development of Vicinity’s electric motor chassis for Class 5/6 bus configurations and provide engineering services to enable AC fast-charging using Coil Driver. Upon complete execution, Vicinity Lightning buses optimized with Coil Driver are expected to be on the road in the near term and accessible for private and public transit use in several forward-looking cities across North America.
“Exro is thrilled to partner with Vicinity, with its strong foothold in the Canadian bus market, to bring affordable electric buses to North American cities,” said Sue Ozdemir, CEO, Exro Technologies. “Our work with Vicinity demonstrates our ability to customize and scale our Coil Drive System to meet heavy-duty bus requirements and meet net-zero manufacturing requirements with our world-class Calgary facility. Together with Vicinity we’re optimizing government investments in zero-emissions transportation, providing electric buses that perform better and last longer even in the toughest weather conditions.”
