New Zero-Emission e-Quest XL to be built on Ford F59 Chassis, using Starcraft bus body

FOSTER CITY, Calif.  — Continuing to demonstrate its collaborative approach to greening America’s fleets, Motiv Power Systems and Creative Bus Sales, Inc announced they will partner on a new all-electric school bus. Called the Starcraft e-Quest XL, the zero-emission school bus will use the Motiv All-Electric Powertrain, a Ford F59 chassis and Starcraft body. Features of the e-Quest XL bus include passenger capacity of up to 48, a range of up to 85 miles, 50 percent charge within 2 hours, among others.

Starcraft Bus is North America’s largest and fastest growing shuttle bus company.  Starcraft’s top selling dealer is Creative Bus Sales, the nation’s largest bus dealership with multiple sales and service locations throughout the United States. This partnership will also allow Chino, CA based  Green Alternative Systems (GAS), the largest fleet conversion company in North America, to add Motiv to its portfolio of available alternative fuel systems for fleets across the country.

“After making our mark with compressed natural gas upfits, we are thrilled to be able to collaborate with Motiv and offer an all-electric option to our customers,” said Mark Matijevich, General Manager of GAS. “Greening the nation’s fleets is not a one-size-fits-all solution; between CNG, propane and now an all-electric option, we continue to guide schools and commercial fleets towards the best options to fit their operational needs while reducing their carbon footprints.”

In addition to the Ford F59 chassis, the Motiv All-Electric Powertrain has upfit packages available for the Ford E450 and Crane Carrier COE2 class 8 chassis. Like the F59 All-Electric Powertrain, these configurations include all of the components needed to transform a chassis from fossil-fuel-powered to zero-emission all-electric drive including batteries, electric motors, a universal charger, and electric power for auxiliary systems. The Motiv All-Electric Powertrain is professionally installed to OEM standards at the time of the vehicle’s manufacture.

Named one of Popular Science’s Best of What’s New technologies, the Motiv All-Electric Powertrain has successfully been used in school buses, shuttle buses, delivery trucks, maintenance trucks and North America’s only all-electric refuse truck deployed by the City of Chicago.

ABOUT MOTIV POWER SYSTEMS
Founded in 2009 and based in Foster City, CA, Motiv Power Systems designs and builds flexible and scalable All-Electric Powertrains for commercial medium and heavy-duty trucks and buses. Motiv partners with existing truck builders who manufacture electric versions of their traditional fossil-fueled vehicles on their current assembly lines using the Motiv All-Electric Powertrain. Common vehicle types from these builders include work, delivery and refuse trucks, as well as school and shuttle buses. The Motiv All-Electric Powertrain is installed at the time of vehicle manufacture, similar to a natural gas or propane upfit. For more information and career opportunities, please visit www.motivps.com and follow us on Twitter @motivps, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

ABOUT CREATIVE BUS SALES
Celebrating its 35^th anniversary, Creative Bus Sales is the nation’s largest bus dealership, representing over 20 top manufacturers in multiple strategic locations across the country. With hundreds of units in stock, Creative offers new and used bus sales, online parts ordering, service, warranty, in-house financing, and alternative fuel conversions, including CNG, propane and electric. Visit us at CreativeBusSales.com or on social media: Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.

ABOUT GREEN ALTERNATIVE SYSTEMS
Green Alternative Systems (GAS), the largest commercial alternative fuel upfitter in North America. GAS is dedicated to designing and installing the highest quality natural gas, propane, hybrid, and electric fuel systems for the transit and fleet industries. A participant of the Ford QVM program, with an educated and well-trained team of sales and service personnel located at facilities across the country, GAS offers fuel systems for buses, trucks, and commercial vehicles. Visit us at GreenAlternativeSystems.com.

Creative Bus Sales
800.326.2877
Sales@CreativeBusSales.com

Green Alternative Systems
(877) 686-9448
Sales@GreenAlternativeSystems.com

FOSTER CITY, Calif. — Four new all electric community shuttle buses, funded by Google in a two year pilot project, are on the road in Mountain View, California. Known as the Mountain View Community Shuttles, the white and blue buses use modular, plug and play electric powertrain technology from Motiv Power Systems. The Motiv electric Powertrain Control System (ePCS) is the only product suite in the industry that electrifies truck or bus chassis as a ship-though option, using a variety of commercially-available battery packs and motors.

“We’re happy to be working with Motiv and the City of Mountain View on the new electric community shuttles,” said Meghan Casserly, Google spokesperson. “We hope the shuttle system makes getting around a little easier–and greener–for all of our neighbors.”

The Mountain View Community Shuttle service is aimed at moving residents and visitors through the City between neighborhoods, shopping centers, medical complexes, City facilities and recreation areas. The four electric shuttles are free to the public and are equipped with seating for 16 passengers, a wheelchair lift, space for two wheelchairs, WiFi connectivity and bicycle racks on the outside of the vehicle. The free shuttles are being made available to help residents and visitors access recreational areas. City officials hope the service will reduce drive-alone traffic, as well as help residents get around town in a loop route.

“With these four buses, thousands of residents will get to experience firsthand what an electric bus can offer,” said Motiv CEO Jim Castelaz. “These buses demonstrate we don’t need to design new vehicles from the ground up to break their reliance on fossil fuel and offer zero-emission vehicle options.”

While the costs of the two year pilot program are supported by Google, the electrification of the shuttles was made possible through funding from the California Energy Commission (CEC). CEC grants allowed the bus and service dealer, ABC Companies to purchase the batteries, as well as the electric powertrains, and provide Google zero emission shuttles for the same cost as their fossil fuel counterparts.

“We’ve been watching the development of electric buses over the past few years,” said Jon Savitz, Senior Vice President, Business Development of ABC Companies. “Google’s commitment to clean, efficient transportation and their companywide culture of promoting new technologies gave ABC’s Ameritrans subsidiary an opportunity to apply Motiv’s fully electric drive system to their shuttle vehicles.  The Mountain View Community shuttles are the perfect showcase to apply this technology to our buses and bring cleaner public transportation to the residents and visitors of the city.”

The Mountain View Community Shuttles feature a Ford E450 chassis, the Motiv ePCS and an Ameritrans 285 shuttle bus body. With these shuttles, the Motiv ePCS, battery packs, and a motor were installed to replace the engine and transmission of a new incomplete chassis in a ship-through modification. This process, common in the truck and bus industry, is similar to a Compressed Natural Gas ship-through modification and allows for minimal changes between the fossil fuel and electric versions of the final vehicle. Existing truck and bus builders who already use incomplete chassis can use the Motiv ePCS product suite to build and sell electric versions of their existing truck and bus models.

In 2014, Motiv was the first electric truck and bus company in the US to release a production model all-electric school bus and the first in North America to release an all-electric garbage truck.

For more information on shuttle routes, schedules, operations and, in the near future, a ride tracker to show where the shuttles are on their route, visit MVCommunityShuttle.com or call the hotline at (855) 730-RIDE (7433).

About Motiv Power Systems

Founded in 2009 and based in Foster City, CA, Motiv Power Systems designs and builds an electric Powertrain Control System (ePCS) for commercial truck and bus builders who use it to create all-electric versions of vehicles such as box trucks, flat-take-bed trucks, refrigerated trucks, utility/service trucks, shuttle buses, school buses, delivery vehicles and refuse trucks. For more information, please visit www.motivps.com.

Named a winner for its innovative electric Powertrain Control System built for a wide range of electric trucks

FOSTER CITY, Calif. — Motiv Power Systems, the electric truck leader and top supplier of control systems to the growing electric truck market, is proud to announce that its electric Powertrain Control System (ePCS) has been awarded a 2014 Best of What’s New Award in Green Technology from Popular Science. This award comes after a big year for Motiv, including deliveries of North America’sfirst and only all-electric garbage truck to the City of Chicago and the first production model all-electric school bus in the US. Motiv is backed by Magness Ventures and has received grant funding from the California Air Resources Board.

“For 27 years, Popular Science has honored the innovations that surprise and amaze us – those that make a positive impact on our world today and challenge our view of what’s possible in the future,” said Cliff Ransom, Editor-in-Chief of Popular Science. “The Best of What’s New Award is the magazine’s top honor, and the 100 winners – chosen from among thousands of entrants – each a revolution in its field.”

The basis for Motiv’s win is the ePCS, a single platform that can electrify any truck or bus chassis with a variety of commercially-available battery packs and motors that are upgradable over time. The ePCS is installed instead of an engine and transmission on new incomplete chassis such as the Ford E450, as a ship-through modification.  This process, common in the truck industry, is similar to a Compressed Natural Gas ship-through modification and means minimal changes between the fossil fuel and electric versions of the final vehicle. Existing truck and bus builders who already use these incomplete chassis can build and sell electric versions of their existing truck and bus models. Motiv currently partners with Trans Tech Bus to provide the electric version of its Class-A school buses, Ameritrans Bus to provide an electric commercial shuttle bus and Cumberland Servicecenter to provide the 30-ton electric refuse trucks to the City of Chicago.

“We’re thrilled to see our technology recognized with such a prestigious award,” said Motiv Founder and CEO Jim Castelaz. “Both the challenge of electrifying the trucking industry and the market opportunities are quite large.  We’ve accomplished some impressive milestones this year in our goal to help fleets reduce their emissions. This award affirms that we are on the right track.”

Each year, the editors of Popular Science review thousands of products in search of the top 100 tech innovations of the year, breakthrough products and technologies that represent a significant leap in their industries. Best of What’s New awards are presented in 12 categories: Aerospace, Automotive, Engineering, Entertainment, Gadgets, Green, Hardware, Health, Home, Recreation, Security and Software. The winners are awarded inclusion in the much-anticipated December issue of Popular Science, the most widely read issue of the year.

About Motiv Power Systems

Founded in 2009 and based in Foster City, CA, Motiv Power Systems designs and builds electric Powertrain Control Systems (ePCS) for the commercial transportation industry. Truck and bus builders use the ePCS to create all-electric versions of existing vehicles types, such as box trucks, flat-/stake-bed trucks, refrigerated trucks, utility/service trucks, shuttle buses, school buses, delivery vehicles and refuse trucks. For more information, please visit www.motivps.com

About Popular Science

Founded in 1872, Popular Science is the world’s largest science and technology magazine; with a circulation of 1.3 million and 6.8 million monthly readers. Each month, Popular Science reports on the intersection of science and everyday life, with an eye toward what’s new and why it matters. Popular Science is published by Bonnier Active Media, a subsidiary of Bonnier Corporation.

Type A electric (EV) school buses to reduce fuel and maintenance costs for school districts, while decreasing regional diesel particulate emissions

FOSTER CITY, Calif. — New all-electric Type A school buses will hit the road in 2014, due to a collaboration between Trans Tech Bus, and Motiv Power Systems. Called the SST-e, the first all-electric school bus developed in the partnership will go to Kings Canyon Unified School District, in the San Joaquin Valley of California. The bus is funded in part by the California Air Resources Board AB 118 Air Quality Improvement Program Electric School Bus Demonstration Project. The new SST-e bus will be revealed today at the 2013 National Association for Pupil Transportation (NAPT) Annual Summit in Grand Rapids, MI booth # 129.

The buses are built on Ford E450 chassis, utilizing the all-battery, all-chassis compatible Motiv electric Powertrain Control System (ePCS).The ePCS is installed as a Ford ship-through chassis modification similar to a Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) modification, enabling minimal changes between the fossil fuel and electric versions of the school buses. Passenger capacity for the Trans Tech/Motiv SST-e all-electric school buses is up to 32 students for this Type A bus, or 24 students and 1 wheelchair.

“An electric bus can save a school district about 16 gallons of fuel a day, or around $11,000 in fuel savings over a year, not to mention maintenance savings,” said John Phraner President of Trans Tech. “We are very excited to continue to help school districts reduce their transportation budgets and are committed to opening the market for the all-electric school bus.”

The SST-e buses are built on Ford E450 chassis, using the Motiv ePCS, which is compatible with a wide variety of chassis and batteries. The ePCS allows buses to be compatible with any battery currently on the market or available in the future. Additionally, one pack can be replaced without replacing all the batteries on the vehicle. The new all-electric SST-e school buses are available with four or five battery packs, providing districts with range options of 80 or 100 miles.

With Motiv’s onboard fast charging technology the buses can reach 50 percent charge in under an hour and full charge in 8 hours. Motiv’s low-cost 3-phase fast charging, requires minimal building modifications and no expensive charging stations. The buses are also equipped with telemetry systems, providing real-time route data and preventive maintenance reports to fleet managers. The cloud stored data can be viewed on the web and on smart phones, helping them manage improved driver performance and safety management.

“Our system is battery agnostic, it ‘future-proofs’ fleets against changes in the battery market, such as discontinued batteries or future improved technology,” said Jim Castelaz Founder and CEO of Motiv. “This makes a Motiv equipped bus the most flexible and customizable all-electric powertrain for trucks on the market. We are thrilled the ePCS will be assisting schools get the most out of their transportation dollars, while at the same time educating children on clean transportation.”

ABOUT TRANS TECH BUS

Trans Tech Bus (www.transtechbus.com) is a manufacturer of industry-leading conventional and environmentally-friendly type A school buses. Offering single and dual wheel models, Trans Tech Bus is known for its innovative and fuel efficient conversion designs. With a wide array of versatile floor plans, the company is able to meet ever-changing customer demand. Trans Tech Bus is a division of Transportation Collaborative Incorporated located near the New York metropolitan area in Warwick, NY and New York’sonly school bus manufacturer.

ABOUT MOTIV POWER SYSTEMS

Founded in 2009 and based in Foster City, CA, Motiv Power Systems designs and builds a flexible electric Powertrain Control System (ePCS) for the commercial truck, bus and refuse industries.  Motiv’s ePCS works with a wide variety of batteries and motors. This flexibility allows traditional truck chassis OEMs to assemble electric trucks on their current diesel truck assembly lines. Motiv’s ePCS is available for medium and heavy duty commercial truck applications including box trucks, flat/stake beds, refrigerated trucks, utility/service bodies, shuttle buses, delivery vehicles and refuse trucks.

Media Inquiries:
For Trans Tech Bus:
Brian Barrington
bbarrington@transtechbus.com
845-988-0447

For Motiv: Technica Communications
Lisa Ann Pinkerton
Lisaann@technicacommunications.com
408-806-9626

Local Chicago dealers for Loadmaster and Crane Carrier providing Class 8 refuse truck components

FOSTER CITY, Calif.  — Ramping up the development of what is expected to be the first US all-electric Class 8 refuse truck, Motiv Power Systems has announced some of its vendor partners on the project.  The garbage truck body will be a Loadmaster 20 cubic yard Excel-S series, provided by RNOW Inc under municipal contract with the City of Chicago.  The chassis, manufactured by Crane Carrier, will be furnished by Cumberland Service Center another City of Chicago contracted dealer. Last November, Motiv was granted a contract up to $13.4 million to provide up to 20 EV refuse trucks for the City of Chicago. The scalability and flexibility of the Motiv electric Powertrain Control System (ePCS) made the company the most cost-effective choice for the exclusive 5-year contract

Currently the only technology of its kind in the trucking market, the ePCS uses off-the-shelf batteries and motors, which can be mixed and matched to fit the exact size and duty cycle of the electric truck needed.  The ePCS can handle EV trucks from medium-duty to heavy-duty, weighing 15,000 lbs to 52,000 lbs.  Research suggests the ePCS design approach cuts operating costs by 50 percent over an eight-year period.  With its medium-duty pilot shuttle, Motiv reduced operating cost from 80 cents per mile ($0.80/mi) to 10 cents per mile ($0.10/mi).

“Motiv’s approach to the refuse market is the same as in other medium and heavy-duty vehicle markets where we have worked before; find the best, most knowledgeable partners and build a team and product based on our combined expertise at a lower cost,” said Jim Castelaz, CEO of Motiv Power Systems.  “These partners enable us to deliver a vehicle to Chicago that is not a science project, but instead consists of industry-standard components with strong, experienced suppliers standing behind every aspect of the vehicle.”

ABOUT MOTIV POWER SYSTEMS

Founded in 2009, Motiv Power Systems designs and builds a flexible electric Powertrain Control System (ePCS) for the commercial truck, bus and refuse industries.  Motiv’s ePCS works with a wide variety of batteries and motors. This flexibility allows traditional truck chassis OEMs to assemble electric trucks on their current diesel truck assembly lines. Electric trucks equipped with Motiv’s ePCS can offer up to 100 miles range depending on the configuration. Research shows electric trucks equipped with the Motiv ePCS hold a total cost of ownership 50% less than comparable diesel trucks over an 8 year period.  Motiv’s ePCS is available for medium and heavy duty commercial truck applications including box trucks, flat/stake beds, refrigerated trucks, utility/service bodies,  shuttle buses, delivery vehicles and refuse trucks.  Motiv is located in Foster City, CA.

Media Inquiries:
Technica Communications

Lisa Ann Pinkerton
Lisaann@technicacommunications.com
(US) 408-806-9626

$0.10/mile operating cost and other all-electric bus data to be presented at HTUF 2012 in Charlotte, NC booth #516

FOSTER CITY, Calif. — Over the past six months, Motiv Power Systems has successfully run its demo all-electric bus on two different off-the-shelf battery types, demonstrating the universal battery compatibility of its electric Powertrain Control System (ePCS).  This EV innovation reduces both time and expense in the design of new EV trucks and buses.  The bus clocked up to 125 miles on a single charge, with operating costs at $0.10/mile, 83% less than an equivalent diesel vehicle.  By using modular hardware and software reconfiguration, the ePCS eliminates time and cost related to engineering and testing for different battery configurations, making the ePCS a battery agnostic technology for any EV truck or bus.

Motiv CEO Jim Castelaz will present the full set of findings at HTUF 2012 the Hybrid, Electric and Advanced Truck Users Forum in Charlotte, NC on September 18 (1:30–3:00 PM).  Motiv will display the all-electric demo bus in booth #516 September 18-19, and in the HTUF Ride and Drive on September 20.

Data to be presented at this session was acquired by the Motiv ePCS, using Motiv’s Android-based Remote Telemetry System (RTS).  This RTS is unique to the industry as it provides real-time, secure, wireless data connectivity of the shuttle bus with the Motiv cloud.  The RTS monitors operations such as performance, battery charge, route, component health and vehicle status to provide detailed analytics to fleet operators for predictive maintenance and service.

“We are thrilled to show the EV truck industry this next generation of electric trucks and buses,” said Castelaz.  “The Motiv demo bus is the first all-electric vehicle to feature this level of detail in real-time monitoring, as well as function with two different sets of batteries in a single powertrain.  This demonstrates the mix-and-match component feature of the ePCS and allows for battery sets to be compared in real world environments.”

Rather than offer a single electric truck model with limited component selection, the Motiv ePCS works with a wide range of batteries, motors, and chassis.  This flexibility allows fleets to choose their battery vendors, as well as vehicle range and power.  Through its intelligent software control algorithms, Motiv’s ePCS actively manages power flow between all electrical components in the vehicle.

“Our system takes the risk out of going electric for your medium-duty truck fleet,” said Castelaz.  “It’s a system that supports the current diesel truck chassis OEM’s ecosystem.  Fleets are free to spec the exact type of vehicle they want and work with their trusted chassis vendors.”

The Motiv demo bus was built for Bauer Transportation under an award from the California Energy Commission.

ABOUT MOTIV POWER SYSTEMS
Founded in 2009, Motiv Power Systems designs and builds a flexible electric Powertrain Control System (ePCS) for the commercial truck and bus industries.  Motiv’s ePCS works with a wide variety of batteries and motors.  This flexibility allows traditional truck chassis OEMs to assemble electric trucks on their current diesel truck assembly lines. Electric trucks equipped with Motiv’s ePCS can offer over 100 miles range and a total cost of ownership 50% less than a diesel truck over an 8 year period.  Motiv’s ePCS is available for commercial trucks, shuttle buses and delivery vehicles.  Motiv is located in Foster City, CA.

Media Inquiries:
Technica Communications
Lisa Ann Pinkerton
408-806-9626
Lisaann@technicacommunications.com