Vancouver-based allelectric fleet vehicles rev up at auto show

Vancouver‐based Rapid Electric Vehicles (REV) showcased its all‐electric vehicle prototypes at the 2009 Vancouver International Auto Show’s Vancouver Sun Driving Green exhibit.

REV converts fleet market vehicles, such as the 2008 Ford Ranger, to advanced battery-electric, highway-capable vehicles with the REV PACK plug-in aftermarket conversion kit. Under the leadership of president and CEO Jay Giraud, the company was formed in 2008 with a vision of bringing electric vehicles to the fleet markets. By licensing auto repair shops to install the PACK, REV estimates it could convert 5,000 of the 63 million light duty fleet vehicles in use in North America by 2012.

Under the leadership of president and CEO Jay Giraud, REV was formed to bring electric vehicles to the fleet markets.

For the past three months, REV has focused on engineering its proprietary electric front wheel drive system for the Ford Escape. Almost complete, the newest vehicle in REV’s lineup will give North American vehicle fleet operators the opportunity to convert their passenger vehicle fleets into green driving machines.

“We’re completely focused on transforming the most popular North American fleet vehicles—Ford Escapes, Rangers and F150s—into electric vehicles,” Giraud says before the show. “Government mandates for carbon neutrality are challenging fleet vehicle operators in the United States and Canada to do the right thing. … There’s a strong demand for clean driving fleet vehicles. We’re answering that demand by giving fleet vehicle operators what they want: a zero‐emission light truck and passenger vehicle.”

According to REV, it’s a business model charged for success: Take the vehicle the customer already knows and understands, transform its engine and drive train to a low‐maintenance, hyper‐efficient, all‐electric drive system, while retaining full performance, cargo space and usability. REV’s engineers met the challenge and the company is developing a fast install system.

“Fleet vehicle managers have already told us their excitement for our vehicles is high and they can’t wait to add them to their fleets,” Giraud says. “We’re confident that people wandering through the Vancouver International Auto Show next week are going to love what we’re doing and start asking ‘When can I get one like this?’ There is real pent‐up demand for electric vehicles.”