Fast Company reports that "UPS just announced that it plans to order 10,000 electric vans from Arrival, a U.K. startup that builds electric vehicles from scratch."
The story notes that this order reflects a tipping point of sorts - that "electric delivery vehicles are at a tipping point: The technology is now cheap enough that EVs can truly compete with gas and diesel trucks and vans."
According to Fast Company, "The logistics company first began working with Arrival in 2016; today, UPS announced that its venture arm, UPS Ventures, also made a minority investment in the startup … The startup builds its own core components, with a modular design that uses a standard 'skateboard' base that can be topped with different cabins. Arrival’s CEO has said that its vehicles will be cheaper than diesel vehicles from competitors. UPS won’t comment on the purchase price, but simply says that Arrival is price competitive with UPS’s current vehicles."
- KC's View:
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I don't know about you, but when I see a delivery vehicle that is more environment-conscious, it makes me feel a little bit better about the negative impact I've probably had by placing my order online. This is the kind of stuff that more and more consumers care about.
Rationalization? Sure. But as Jeff Goldblum says in The Big Chill, "I don't know anyone who could get through the day without two or three juicy rationalizations. They're more important than sex … Ever gone a week without a rationalization?"
