Motiv Power Systems (Motiv), the leading provider of all-electric medium-duty fleet chassis, announced a commitment from Detroit Custom Chassis LLC (DCC) to install Motiv’s all-electric EPIC chassis on the base Ford F-59 platform, which is assembled by its affiliate Detroit Chassis Plant (DCP), both owned by Spectra.

DCC assembly line with EPIC.

Assembly of Motiv’s EPIC chassis at DCP enables more efficient and cost-effective production and reduced build times to meet growing customer demands for zero-emission commercial truck offerings.

As a Ford eQVM certified producer, Motiv worked with DCC to optimize production requirements of the EPIC chassis to enable it to slot seamlessly into the same assembly lines producing internal combustion engine-powered chassis.

F-59 EPIC chassis

DCP has long served as the production facility for Ford’s F-59 commercial truck chassis. Since a number of our EPIC chassis variants are based on Ford’s F-59, it made perfect sense to implement an OEM build process that closely mirrors the one used by Ford themselves. With the scale we are focused on achieving in order to meet market demand, this represents a significant step forward for Motiv.

—Matt O’Leary, Motiv’s CEO

Production is already underway at DCP, which has capacity to build up to 90,000 chassis a year at its 220,000 square/foot assembly plant on 33 acres in Detroit, Michigan.

The first customer deliveries of Motiv Epic chassis originating from DCC are expected in the first quarter 2019.

Motiv’s EPIC (Electric Powered Intelligent Chassis) are CARB-certified, GSA-approved, and available for many configurations including step vans, box trucks, work trucks, shuttle buses, school buses, trolleys, and other specialty vehicles.

Motiv is the only Ford eQVM-approved provider of all-electric chassis for commercial trucks and buses and benefits from engineering insights and support from Ford to ensure safety and reliability.