Orange EV hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday, January 26th, to mark the inauguration of their new 440,000 square foot headquarters and production plant. The occasion saw the presence of customers, community stakeholders, supporters, as well as notable figures such as Laura Kelly, the Governor of Kansas, David Toland, the Lieutenant Governor of Kansas, and Tom Borroughs, the Mayor Pro Tem of Kansas City, Kansas.
“Orange EV’s investment of more than $37 million will create 185 new jobs right here in Kansas City benefiting families throughout Wyandotte County,” said Kansas Governor Laura Kelly. “Between Panasonic and now Orange EV, we are home to a growing EV and battery sector that will uplift our state and power the future of transportation.”
Orange EV was founded in 2012, producing its first pure-electric yard trucks in a 2,000 sq ft facility. The company subsequently outgrew its facilities three times expanding to 12,000 sq ft, then 52,000 sq ft, and now 440,000 sq ft, chronicling not only the company’s success but also the transportation industry’s familiarization with and adoption of heavy-duty electric vehicles (EVs).
The numerous benefits of electric yard trucks over diesel are now well-established, but three factors stand out:
- Diesel yard trucks consume significant fuel, an average of 8,000 gallons a year. Electricity is typically a fraction of the cost of diesel, providing up to 90% savings.
- Yard trucks generally stay on site so are always within easy reach of charging. The ability to opportunity charge during breaks significantly reduces fueling downtime, increasing operational efficiency.
- Electric trucks are safer, healthier, and more comfortable for drivers. Orange EV’s zero-emissions vehicles are smoother and quieter to operate, have better cab climate controls (cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter), and regenerative braking reduces stopping distance and time by up to 50%.
Orange EV commercially deployed its first pure-electric heavy-duty (HD) yard truck in 2015 and now has more than 1,000 HD electric trucks deployed in 36 states across the U.S. According to the latest CALSTART report “Zeroing in on Zero-Emission Trucks,” the yard truck vehicle segment is making the fastest transition to electric, and Orange EV has deployed more heavy-duty trucks than all other manufacturers.
Orange EV credits its exponential growth to staying close to its core mission and values.
“From the beginning, we set out to build a truck that was better in every way than the diesel. To do that, our engineering teams work closely with service, sales, and customers in an evaluative and iterative process of continual improvement. As a result, our trucks average more than 98% uptime compared to 75% for comparable diesels,” said Kurt Neutgens, Orange EV co-founder, President, and CTO. “We also are committed to building trucks that are better for the environment. Our zero-emission trucks are a win-win: the right thing for the planet and the right thing for the business bottom line. Customers can come out ahead by more than $500,000 per truck after 10 years of operation, without incentives.”
Orange EV has also remained customer-focused, developing manufacturing, sales, and service models that cut out go-betweens, allowing for a more direct customer experience. The Orange EV coordinated, turnkey solution includes trucks, chargers, training, and service.
“Unlike other companies where fleets have to navigate through dealers and third-party suppliers, at Orange EV we know that time is precious and have developed an efficient, customer-centric ecosystem,” said Wayne Mathisen, Orange EV co-founder and CEO. “From the beginning, Orange EV has designed and built our own trucks, chargers, and battery packs, and we have direct-to-customer sales and service teams. When a customer has an issue, our mobile service teams go straight to the customer’s site to solve it directly and solve it fast.”
Orange EV delivers trucks and chargers within about 90 days from order. In their new production facility, Orange EV has the capacity to produce more than 200 trucks per month in a single shift, keeping pace with the increasing demand for both e-TRIEVER electric yard trucks and also Orange EV’s new HUSK-e trucks specifically designed for rugged, fast-paced port and rail operations, moving loads up to 180,000 lbs at speeds up to 32 mph.
For more information on Orange EV, please visit the website here.
