EV Upfitting Innovation

Posted by Kevin Prior on

Ready or not, the EV revolution is here, and fleet owners and operators are feeling the ever-increasing pressure to accelerate their electrification strategy or risk being left in the slow lane. It’s no secret the familiar landscape of traditional vehicle management has been replaced by the urgent need to navigate multiple complexities of electrification, including establishing robust charging infrastructure, procuring power, and optimizing service routes. Amidst the challenges, upfitting emerges as a critical puzzle piece, shaping the efficiency, safety, and payload capacity of electric vehicles in ways many may not realize. 

Maximizing Potential: Vehicle Upfitting Boosts Performance and Functionality

When acquiring new fleet vehicles, especially work cargo vans, upfitting is an essential step in the process to ensure technicians’ needs are met across a variety of industries and trades, including HVAC, plumbing, electric, construction, and more. Not only does upfitting improve safety, organization, efficiency and productivity, it also creates a comfortable and professional work space, which can go a long way in terms of improved employee retention rates and overall job satisfaction. 

EVs Are Changing the Upfitting Game

Shelving, flooring and organizational accessories are core upfit components for any cargo van, but unlike ICE vehicles, EVs pose unique design challenges, such as optimizing payload for improved range, in addition to ensuring safety during the installation process. These factors add a new layer of unique upfitting considerations for fleet managers to navigate. 

Luckily, American Ladders and Scaffolds and Ranger Design are helping to take the guesswork out of EV cargo van customization.

Ranger Design Sets the Standard for EV Upfitting Innovation

As the EV revolution takes hold, Ranger Design is setting a new standard for upfitting excellence with its groundbreaking innovations. Its upfit solutions are delivering big benefits for the EV fleet market, including optimized efficiency, improved safety and easier and faster installation. Unlike ICE vehicles, electric cargo vans typically have batteries located under the body of the vehicle. While this configuration helps maintain the same cargo capacity as a non-electric model, it can make floor installation challenging — and risky. To eliminate the potential for battery damage during installation, Ranger eliminated the guesswork of where to drill with an innovative drill-free flooring solution.

Ranger Design also offers drill-free mounting tracks for van walls. Its drill-free upfitting solutions are especially beneficial for fleets that are leased, improving ease of reselling with no drill holes or installation damage to repair. 

Beyond drill-free solutions, Ranger is breaking the upfitting mold by switching from steel to lighter-weight aluminum components. Shifting to aluminum is a game changer when it comes to optimizing payload and vehicle safety. An unloaded electric van typically weighs slightly more than an unloaded combustion engine van due to the weight and presence of battery packs. However, switching from steel to aluminum saves approximately 33% of weight. 

Maximizing van payload helps optimize productivity and EV range. It also helps reduce vehicle maintenance and repairs caused by weight overload. Most importantly, decreasing overall van mass helps to ensure safety. Exceeding recommended weight can place strain on the van’s suspension and frame, affect braking distances, and be disastrous in the event of an accident or collision. 

The Art of Innovative Upfitting: More than Just Shelving and Flooring

When selecting an upfitter for your EV fleet, it is critical to partner with experts that are committed to improving the experience, job satisfaction, and productivity for crews day in and day out. Partnering with an upfitter that takes the time to gain a deep understanding of how a vehicle will be used is paramount, especially when it comes to ensuring ROI. For instance, Ranger Design develops its customized designs through an in-depth process which includes on-site analysis and ride-along with technicians to identify everyday needs and challenges. From there, a prototype solution is developed and tested, followed by scalable production, and timely delivery and installation to get fleets up and running as fast as possible. 

At the end of the day, upfitting EV fleets is more than simply installing flooring and shelving. It requires precision, creativity, and attention to detail — and when upfitting is executed with mastery and innovation in mind, it can open up new doors to heightened productivity, efficiency, and overall success. 

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