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Today kick starts the 2013 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, a showcase of the automotive industry’s latest vehicles and innovations.
Electric vehicle developer and manufacturer VIA Motors rolled out several new electric vehicles (EVs) today, including a new extended-range cargo van for Verizon’s fleet. The van is a culmination of over one year of work between VIA Engineering and Verizon Fleet Engineering and Development, which focused on answering the need for more sustainable commercial fleet vehicles.
The two teams worked together to integrate the VIA system into the platform that for decades has been our business's and industry’s “bread and butter” vehicle. VIA developed and built the electric cargo van based on Verizon’s direction and fleet concepts, and VIA’s engineers expect the vans to achieve up to 100 miles per gallon with near zero emissions.
Caption: Bob Lutz (left), the legendary auto industry executive and father of GM's Chevy Volt, and Verizon VP of Fleet Ken Jack were on hand to unveil Verizon and VIA’s new fleet van from the Detroit floor show.
The van’s first stop will be New York City, where Verizon will deploy and test the vehicles in and around Manhattan. We’ll later install technology from our subsidiary Hughes Telematics in order to leverage cloud-based data analytics to optimize routes, reduce our fuel consumption, and gather deeper data around the efficiency of these vehicles.
The VIA extended range EV technology provides 35-40 miles of all electric operation, which is suited for Verizon’s typical daily cargo van range. This EV range will eliminate petroleum fuel consumption completely during most days of operation, yet can still operate indefinitely when needed.
Additionally, the exportable AC power will allow the van to act as a power source, providing enough AC electricity to power localized sections of Verizon’s network when power outages occur (as was experienced widely in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy).
