Hino Motors, which is a subsidiary of Toyota Motor, is collaborating with an Israeli electric vehicle start-up. The goal is to develop electric trucks, buses, and commercial vehicles.
REE Automotive is the Israeli Electric Vehicle Start-Up
Based in Tel Aviv, REE Automotive has what is being called a different approach to develop electric vehicles. Moreover, this approach centers around technology. It is what packs built into the wheels of a vehicle. Thus, this approach allows customers to come up with distinct layouts for the vehicle cabins.
Hino Has Special Layouts and Capabilities
The choice to develop commercial vehicles with special layouts and capabilities may be critical. This is to win over customers in a commercial vehicle market. Thus it has become very competitive for electric vehicles.
Almost every automaker is targeting commercial vehicles for growing their EV platforms. In fact, that would include General Motors, Ford, and Volkswagen — which are targeting commercial vehicles for growing their EV platforms.
Hino and REE: Joint Prototypes
Next year, Hino and REE are probably expected to develop their first prototypes. Though it’s not clear when the commercial vehicles from the partnership may, in fact, be on the public streets. Possibly it will happen in the future.
New Value in Commercial Mobility
“REE is a visionary company. Moreover, I am confident that this business alliance will become a driving force for Hino. Therefore, this will occur as we take on the challenge. It will be to generate new value in commercial mobility,” said Hino CEO Yoshio Shimo.
Merging via a SPAC with 10x Capital Venture Acquisition Corp in March, REE hopes to disrupt the automotive industry. This will be by offering drive-by-wire systems for vehicles. However, the Drive-By-Wire technology will use electronic systems.
In fact, the drive-by-wire technology uses electronic systems to replace traditional mechanical controls.
Therefore, the company believes in putting its technology between the wheel and the chassis. This enables the floor of its commercial vans and trucks to be totally flat. This allows for much more flexibility in design and can be adjusted to meet particular specifications.
“In terms of its global reach and scale, this business alliance is a unique opportunity,” said REE CEO Daniel Barel. “It can position us as a strong leader in the commercial and mobility-as-a-service segments.”