The first-ever Karma built commercial electric bus is shuttling people and things from LAX to Irvine, California.
IRVINE, Calif. – During a symbolic ceremony, Karma Automotive held its first customer handover of production commercial vehicles electrified by Karma under the Powered by Karma brand at their headquarters in Irvine. Local Government officials and business leaders were in attendance, including Vice Mayor of Irvine, Anthony Kuo who presented Karma with a special recognition for their work towards sustainability.
The newly electrified shuttles will head to LAX starting this month, providing QuikPark’s customers with innovative technology to get them to their gate on time. The three shuttles had previously been in operation as gas and CNG vehicles. But today they start a new chapter in their operational lives as fully electric, zero emission vehicles.
“We are happy to embark on the journey to zero emissions, Powered by Karma is changing existing shuttle bus fleets that are either gas, diesel or propane into fully electric buses,” said Steve Burton, President at ACE Parking. “And in today’s world, where direct fuel emissions are causing all sorts of pollution, it is great to have zero emission vehicles that are newly repurposed shuttles.” He continued, “the way of the future is electric, and in adapting more commercial vehicles and putting them into use in the public and private sector, the better off we’ll be as we electrify our nation.”
Karma VIPs at Commercial Launch
Powered by Karma is the commercial business unit of Karma Automotive and was established to leverage its existing technical expertise and operational capabilities as an OEM. Karma offers a range of products and services that support the global electric vehicle renaissance, including electric powertrain systems and customized flexible manufacturing.
“We are proud to be working hard at Karma to help reduce emissions and electrify and decarbonize commercial vehicles,” said Jeff Wawrzyniak, Chief Administrative Officer at Karma Automotive. “Our innovative commercial vehicle solution delivers a robust, commercial-grade, and all-electric powertrain system that offers a drastic reduction in the total cost of ownership for fleet customers.” He added, “our flexible and modular architecture can power a variety of vocational applications including delivery vans, buses, ambulances, flatbeds, utility trucks, tow trucks, box trucks in vehicle classes 3 through 5.”
The ability to retrofit existing fleet vehicles, which have been in service for years, is a key enabler in supporting the sustainability efforts of fleet operators. With the Powered by Karma solutions, a company can take existing fleet vehicles and electrify them with a commercial grade powertrain system within days, utilizing Karma’s OEM expertise as an automaker. This capability can extend the productive operating life for these vehicles by up to 10 years.
“Fleet operators will not need to purchase new commercial vehicles, nor will they need to invest $50,000 to $100,000 dollars or more in the upfitting of new vehicles,” said Christine Willett, Sr. Vice President of Business Development at Karma. “Instead, fleet operators have the opportunity to truly renew and reuse their existing fleets through a full electrification in just a matter of days with our Powered by Karma solutions.”
Powered by Karma also offers a comprehensive set of customized flexible manufacturing capabilities at the Karma Innovation and Customization Center (KICC) in Moreno Valley, CA. This 555,000 square foot state-of-the-art manufacturing facility offers complete vehicle assembly including full paint capabilities and is further supported by world class engineering, homologation testing, vehicle certification, and supply chain management services.
QuikPark Los Angeles Airport is conveniently located just a half block from LAX Airport at 9821 Vicksburg Ave, giving customers easy and fast access to and from LAX. They offer fast and friendly airport parking services complemented by their modern covered indoor parking facility.
SOURCE | IMAGES: KARMA.
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