Construction equipment and material-handling company Alta Equipment Group has launched an electrification business, which includes a Nikola truck dealer network, to help fleets switch operations to electric equipment.
Alta eMobility would offer turnkey services to trucking customers by creating customized programs to electrify, charge, operate, and optimize fleets, according to Mike Bucci, the new Alta division’s VP. Alta eMobility will also offer to lead trucking and equipment companies through the entire electrification process from strategy and funding to execution, sales, service, and maintenance, Bucci said during a virtual media briefing.
As part of its service offerings, Alta eMobility will be the primary dealer and service provider for Nikola tractors in Arizona, northern Illinois, New Jersey, New England, New York, and Pennsylvania. Through its agreement with Nikola, Alta eMobility will be responsible for sales, service, commissioning, and infrastructure installation.
See also: Is grid prepared for electric truck 'avalanche’?
“I’ve been converting forklifts to lithium and to hydrogen and to lead acid for so long,” he said. “It’s really the same roadmap we do with all our customers. Now it’s just on the on-road space—and we go from a $50,000 transaction on the forklift to, let’s call it, a $400,000 or $500,000 transaction after you factor in the charging system and all the installation. The roadmap is the same whether you’re selling a forklift or a semi-truck. You meet with customers and you assess their needs.”
Alta Equipment has about 50,000 customers, half of which run on-road fleet vehicles, Bucci said. “We might only be able to sell a Nikola tractor to 10% of our customers, but workplace charging is right behind home charging as far where people go,” he explained. “And 100% of our customers all need some form of workplace charging.”
Bucci declined to say how many EVs Alta has sold to fleets but that more details would be included in the publicly-traded company’s next earnings report. “What I can tell you is that you’re going to see a lot of press releases from our customers on them accepting vehicles early next year,” he added.
Alta eMobility is headquartered in Livonia, Michigan, with facilities in Phoenix, and Syracuse, New York, serving customers in the Midwest, Southwest, and East Coast.
“Alta eMobility was established to assist customers in navigating the complex path of fleet electrification,” said Ryan Greenawalt, CEO of Alta Equipment. “We know that the future of mobility is electrified, and we are excited by the opportunity that this new vertical provides.”
