NOVI, Mich. — The Shyft Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: SHYF) (the “Company”), the North American leader in specialty vehicle manufacturing and assembly for the commercial and fleet vehicle industries (including last-mile delivery, specialty service, and vocation-specific upfit markets), as well as for the recreational vehicle markets, unveiled plans today to bring to market an all-electric purpose-built Class 3 chassis platform designed to serve a wide array of medium-duty truck markets, from last-mile parcel delivery fleets to work trucks, passenger busses, recreational vehicles, and more.
Shyft Innovations™, The Shyft Group’s dedicated mobility research and development team, will introduce a purpose-built flat modular EV chassis to any specialty vehicle body builder. The EV-powered chassis features customizable length and wheelbase, making it well suited for a variety of vehicle types. The chassis’ modular design can accommodate multiple GVWR classifications, based on build out and usage. With this high degree of configurability, the all-electric chassis is adaptable to last mile delivery, work truck, mass transit, recreational vehicle, and other emerging EV markets.
Vehicle prototypes are expected to make their way into customer accounts for route testing early in 2022 with production expected to begin in middle of 2023.
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“We’ve listened closely to our customers and to the industry at large to design this EV chassis to address an unmet need in the specialty vehicles market,” said Daryl Adams, President and Chief Executive Officer of The Shyft Group. “We gained valuable insight from our long-term customer relationships to develop an EV chassis that will help all customers meet green mandates head-on. With a rich history in chassis engineering, body builders trust our deep domain expertise and our ability to deliver a reliable purpose-built EV platform that will deliver inherent efficiencies that positively impact the bottom line for fleet customers and owner operators alike.
“We have a well-established track record as a manufacturer of choice for purpose-built fleets. With nearly a decade of EV proficiency and over 15 years of alternative propulsion category experience, we’re a natural choice for other body builders seeking a reliable commercial grade EV chassis,” Adams said. “We believe this multi-dimensional platform has the power to fast-track EV adoption within the vocation-specific specialty vehicle category. It will be made domestically by a proven team of skilled tradespeople already building today’s most successful fleets.”
The Shyft Group’s coast-to-coast geographic footprint, with manufacturing facilities spanning 10 U.S. states from Maine to California, in addition to its facility in Mexico, provide regional manufacturing and ship-thru convenience across the full product array spanning Class 1 – Class 7 purpose-built vehicles.
