Lightning eMotors announced the deployment of two of its Lightning eMotors ZEV3 Class 3 passenger vans with the Utah Clean Cities East Zion pilot shuttle program.
As part of a pilot program that began in 2019, EVZion developed a zero-emission, electric vehicle (EV) shuttle system to demonstrate the efficiency of electric vehicle transportation in rural gateway communities. The first Lightning eMotors ZEV3 shuttle buses included in this program were deployed on August 22, 2023.
Lightning eMotors’ ZEV3 passenger vans have a long track record of operating in public and private transit and on-demand microtransit contexts across the county. The company said the vans were customized with rear-facing cameras by Lightning eMotors’ partner Volition Components, to allow the side mirrors to be folded so that the vans can pass each other in the tunnel. In conjunction with the deployment of the two vans, Lightning eMotors is demonstrating Lightning Mobile, which provides DC fast charging in a trailer format. The company said this technology is especially valuable for charging EVs in locations that may be remote from the grid.
The EVZion ribbon-cutting follows a recent announcement by Teton Village, WY, about the acquisition of Lightning eMotors vehicles to replace the diesel buses that serve nearly half a million people in and around Teton Village resort.