Zeus Electric Chassis is Lighting up the West Coast!
November 18, 2021
The Zeus team loaded up the truck and hit the road for a West Coast Road Show, traveling through California and Washington from November 8-16.
The crew at Phenix Truck Body were terrific hosts for our first stop in Pomona, California. Their team was genuinely excited to see that Zeus has a working ground-up EV for the class 4-6 vocational work truck market. Wayne Kugel, Bob Grinstead, Bill Brandt, and Peter Tawil answered questions and had some great conversations with Phenix, San Diego Gas & Electric and other fleets, as well as the RWC Group, a local dealer. Also in Pomona we took the show to California Southern Edison where Zeus provided a closer look at the engineering on the Z-19, confirming how the Zeus chassis addresses the holistic needs of the utility industry, addressing range and auxiliary functions as well as electrical, hydraulic and mechanical needs.
The next stop was Sacramento, California, where Zeus was greeted with plenty of enthusiasm at the California Mobility Center’s Ramp-Up Factory. Both CMC members and representatives from the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) got to kick the tires on the Zeus prototype and get a ride around the parking lot. Among those hosting the Zeus team were Mark Rawson, COO at the CMC, Arlen Orchard, Chairman of the Board at the CMC, Paul Lau, CEO and General Manager of SMUD, and several members of SMUD’s Board of Directors. Zeus is a client of the CMC, and it was through the CMC’s involvement that SMUD and Zeus were introduced. Delivery of the first five production Zeus trucks is scheduled to go to SMUD in early 2022.
While in Sacramento we visited the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) at their Division of Equipment facility. Their mechanics poured over the Z-19 and sparked some good conversation about what EVs offer in the work truck industry. The team was invited to tour their facility where they build the upfits that take to the road for Caltrans all over the state of California – a very impressive production line!
The Fleet Forward Conference in San Jose, California was our next stop. Showcased among a plethora of delivery vans, the Zeus truck presented to conference-goers a bigger and bolder vision of what the EV truck market is capable.
In Oakland, California we stopped at one of the City of Oakland’s fleet hubs to meet with representatives of their fleet, individuals from the East Bay Municipal Utility District, and the Clean Cities Coalition.
We wrapped up our Road Show with a stop in Tacoma, Washington. Due to issues with the diesel engine systems on our transport truck (no small irony there), the Zeus Z-19 was not able to make it to Tacoma. This did not diminish anyone’s interest as industry leaders were eager to hear about our truck and the EV fleet adoption solutions offered by Zeus. Zeus representatives met with the Tacoma Public Utility (TPU), local upfitters, and the Tacoma location of the RWC Group to discuss our channel-to-market strategy for the West Coast.
