According to a recent survey from Descartes, there’s only one thing that matters more than delivery speed.
Fifty-four percent of over 8,000 e-commerce consumers who responded to the survey said that they would accept longer lead times when dealing with companies that emphasize sustainable delivery. So it only seems logical that last-mile delivery firms are beginning to go electric.
That’s good news for electric vehicle manufacturers like Cenntro Electric Group Ltd. (NASDAQ: CENN), which on Monday unveiled two EVs geared toward on-demand and last-mile delivery. The new arrivals are an all-electric Class N1 delivery van, the Logistar 260 (LS260), and a compact light cargo van, the Logistar 100 (LS100).
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“Cenntro’s first and foremost task is to listen to our customers and deliver products that reflect their needs and their duty cycles,” Peter Wang, CEO and chairman of Cenntro, told Modern Shipper in an email statement. “We understand that each customer has different needs — different products — and thus we have developed a full line of vehicles that can be easily adapted for the diverse needs of the market.”
Cenntro’s LS260 is a Class N1 vehicle, meaning it is power driven, has at least four wheels and is used to carry goods with a payload less than 3.5 metric tons, or around 7,700 pounds. It can carry around 2,800 pounds over a range of about 167 miles and is suited for logistics solutions, facility management and courier, express and parcel services.
The van features a storage hold with a capacity of just under 265 cubic feet, two side loading doors and a rear loading door that opens up to 270 degrees. Initial deliveries of the LS260 are slated for the first quarter of 2023 in Europe, followed by launches in Asia, the Caribbean and South America.
“The LS260 rounds out Cenntro’s commercial vehicle lineup, providing fleets and businesses with best-in-class EV technology that supports the most robust operating cycles,” Wang said at the vehicle’s premier at the IAA Transportation 2022 convention in Hannover, Germany.
The LS100, meanwhile, is already eligible for sale in European Union member states and countries that adopt EU vehicle approval standards. It’s smaller than its newly unveiled counterpart, capable of hauling 1,151 pounds of payload with a cargo capacity of just over 73 cubic feet.
The compact van has a range of 74 miles under the Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicles Test Procedure, which is a European standard. The equivalent range under the U.S.’s Environmental Protection Agency rating is around 66 miles. The LS100’s small size and range make it a good fit for fast deliveries in cities, emergency and hospitality services and facility management.
The LS260 and LS100 will join the Logistar product line available globally. That series already includes a multipurpose, all light-electric commercial vehicle with a 1-ton payload (LS200) and an all-electric Class 4 truck designed for urban last-mile delivery and freight (LS400).
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The Freehold, New Jersey-based company also recently unveiled a new piece of technology geared for autonomous deliveries. The solution, the iChassis skateboard, debuted in January at the 2022 Consumer Electronics Show and is capable of integrating with third-party apps, which allows delivery providers to enable autonomous driving for their vehicles. Production of the iChassis skateboard will begin by the first quarter of 2023, Cenntro said in January.
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