Arrival and UPS have been working together
since 2016 and that relationship is bearing fruit as the delivery giant has
announced it is ordering 10,000 electric vehicles from the British startup. The
order is worth more than US$ 440 (£ 338 / € 400) million and will help UPS to
transition to a zero emissions fleet.
Little is known about the vans at this
point, but Arrival said they’re Generation 2 vehicles which ride on a
skateboard platform. The models will be built to UPS’ specifications and the company
noted the architecture allows them to create bespoke vehicles of any type, size
or shape to meet customer requirements. These vehicles can also be built at
microfactories which can be “rapidly deployed close to areas of demand across
the globe.”
While a lot of questions remain, the
10,000 delivery vans will be rolled out in Europe, the United States and the
United Kingdom by the end of 2024. That’s just an initial order too as UPS has
the option to buy additional vehicles in the future. Besides the sizable order,
UPS’ venture capital arm also made an investment into Arrival. The companies
didn’t disclose the amount, but the news comes shortly after Hyundai and Kia
invested US$ 110 (£ 85 / € 100) million into Arrival.
