Arrival, the maker of the zero-emissions electric Arrival Van, have announced that they will be establishing a High Voltage Battery Module (HVBM) assembly plant in Charlotte, North Carolina in the USA. The company is investing approximately $11.5 million (£8.7 million/€10.2 million) and the plant will create 150 new jobs.
This will be Arrival’s third facility in Charlotte, along with its North American headquarters in South End and its Van Microfactory also on the West Side, where the new HVBM assembly plant will be built.
Arrival assembles its own proprietary battery modules that can be used in all of its platforms. This enables the customer to configure their battery requirements according to their specific needs.
The in-house design fits within Arrival’s plug-and-play hardware and software architecture that allows for scalability, upgradability and ease of repairs and maintenance.
Arrival’s proprietary software runs across all of its in-house components, diagnosing potential issues and optimising the customer experience, improving the total cost of operations.
Operators cab replace just one module instead of a whole pack, saving both costs and downtime, which makes perfect sense. The modules manufactured in Charlotte will be used in the Arrival Bus and Van being produced at nearby Microfactories.
Earlier this week, Arrival also announced a partnership agreement with Li-Cycle, a leading lithium-ion battery recycler in North America. This collaboration will create a closed-loop electric vehicle (EV) battery supply chain in the US and Europe.
Arrival believes its vehicles will be truly sustainable, and this local HVBM facility will be a key piece of Arrival’s broader sustainability strategy, being situated locally and creating easily upgradable components that can prolong the life of the vehicle.
The wider strategy also includes a zero-waste production goal and the use of recyclable composite materials for the vehicle body that are more durable than steel and don’t require painting.
Mike Ableson, Arrival Automotive CEO, said: “By bringing the assembly of our proprietary High Voltage Battery Modules in house, we’re striving to be as vertically integrated as possible.
“This will enable us to have even greater control over the functionality and cost of our products and pass those cost savings on to the customer while also working toward our goal of zero waste production.”
Arrival continues to work with the City of Charlotte on achieving the goals set out in its Strategic Energy Action Plan (SEAP) that outlines strategies for clean energy focused on transportation, buildings, energy generation and equitable workforce development.
Arrival believes its transformative approach can provide cities with the solutions they need to create sustainable urban environments and exceptional experiences for their citizens.
Roy Cooper, Governor of North Carolina, said: “North Carolina is leading the way in developing and securing our clean energy future and we’re excited that Arrival Automotive is expanding its electric vehicle operations in Charlotte.
“Our high-quality workforce and booming clean energy industry will help the company reach the goal of making electric vehicles affordable and accessible for everyone.”
Arrival’s mission aligns with the City of Charlotte’s goal to improve sustainability efforts and reduce greenhouse emissions. In June 2018, the City passed the Sustainable and Resilient Charlotte by 2050 Resolution, which set aggressive and aspirational community-wide greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals for the city. It strives to have city fleets and facilities be 100 percent fuelled by zero-carbon sources by 2030.
