Motiv Power Systems passes industry-leading safety testing on its all-electric technology
The $1.2 Trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) provides significant funding to electrify and modernize transportation. Already ahead of the curve is sustainable technology company Motiv Power Systems. Focused on providing a seamless pathway to the electrification of medium-duty trucks and buses, the company announced successful testing for the Electronic Stability Control System (ESC) on its EPIC4 platform. The Double Lane Change Handling test, conducted by the Transportation Research Center Inc (TRC Inc.), examined the use of automatic computer-controlled braking of individual wheels to help operators maintain control in critical or hazardous driving conditions. Motiv Power Systems EPIC4 is the first medium-duty class 4 electric vehicle (EV) to pass this type of validation, providing added safety to drivers and passengers of the many all-electric trucks and buses built using the Motiv EPIC4, including school buses.
As a broad-spectrum technology application, ESC plays a vital role in the future of EV safety. Vehicles equipped with this advanced technology can assist drivers on their daily routes during sudden turns or decelerations, which might otherwise cause roll-over or skidding due to loss of road traction.
“I’m proud of Motiv to lead the medium-duty EV industry in the adoption of this critical safety technology – electric vehicles should be held to the same or higher safety standards than their internal combustion alternatives,” said Jim Castelaz, Founder and Chief Technology Officer at Motiv. “While it is an especially high-impact safety feature for those EPIC chassis built into school and shuttle buses and one more step in maximizing passenger safety, this technology also provides safety for pedestrians, bikers, and others nearby.”
In business for over 45 years, TRC Inc. has been North America’s most advanced, independent mobility testing service provider, fulfilling the complex engineering, research, evaluation and testing needs of the world’s leading transportation companies. Motiv working with TRC to achieve this milestone certification is the next step in furthering the company’s already mature technology.
The Electric Power Intelligent Chassis® (EPIC) is Motiv’s family of battery-electric chassis built on proven OEM platforms like Ford’s E-450 and F-59. The EV technology on these chassis was the first all-electric system to receive Ford eQVM approval in 2017 and has since powered many vehicles, including school busses and. The last-mile operation and return-to-depot use case makes these vehicles a perfect candidate for electrification. Motiv’s technology is now in its fifth generation, packed with features and improvements based on their experience from real-world deployments over the past five years. To date, Motiv has over 1mil real-world electric miles through customers like USPS, Aramark, Cintas, and more. The ESC feature is expected to be available on the F59 chassis configuration in 2022.
