© Reuters Shyft Group’s (SHYF) Blue Arc to launch mid-size electric vans and trucks
Shyft Group Inc (NASDAQ:), a Michigan-based manufacturer of specialized medium-duty vehicles, is preparing to offer a line of electric trucks and vans under the Blue Arc brand name. Production of the new cars is scheduled to start next fall.
“This is our wheelhouse – it’s a part that we know and understand,” CEO Daryl Adams said in an interview.
“We knew that traditional manufacturers would have their electric vehicles in the Class 2 (light-duty) space,” Adams said. “We also knew that in (heavy duty) Classes 6, 7 and 8, Peterbilt, PACCAR (NASDAQ:), Navistar, they would all get their lane eventually, so we stayed in our lane.”
Shyft said it plans to begin trial production this summer of its first Blue Arc vehicle, a camper van, in Charlotte, Michigan, near its Novi headquarters.
“The potential size in the ‘imitation’ vehicle space is not that huge,” Adams said. “There’s a lot of variety there, but not a lot of scale. So the key for us is the partnership, which we’ve done with high-quality car suppliers like Bosch and.”
According to Adams, Shyft Group has already received a pre-order for 2,000 Blue Arc vehicles from one of its major dealers/distributors.
SHYF shares were down 1.23% in the afternoon Tuesday.