"We are not one Size Fits all" - How Cenntro is Offering Many Choices & Sizes to Fit Commercial EV & AV Needs

Cenntro offers a full lineup of commercial electric vehicles (EVs). Sizes range from low-speed vehicles up to Class 8 tractor-trailers. At CES this year, the company revealed new models and iChassis for autonomous and remote capabilities. Marianne McInerney, Chief Marketing Officer, talked to Auto Futures about the company's goals, distribution and future.

Cenntro - From Small EVs to Big Haulers

Cenntro launched in 2014 and developed its first low-speed vehicle that is now sold in more than thirty countries.

"That drive system has over twenty million miles on it. It allowed us to learn from that one vehicle how to manufacture, how to produce and how we wanted to distribute. It is the foundation of the six full-battery electric vehicles we offer today. And in our two off-road vehicles and our hydrogen fuel cell," says McInerney.

She says that Cenntro understands that fleets, small businesses and government entities do not have just one application. They are not just doing one job.

"Our goal has been to offer a full line of all-electric products that do not ask the entity, business or the government body to compromise what they need to do every day. Our line is diverse. It reflects different payloads and application needs. But in essence, what we tried to do is listen to customers and provide them with vehicles that we believe they need. We are not one size fits all." 

She adds Cenntro has the most commercial electric vehicles under one brand name. The purpose is to make the transition to EVs easy for fleets and business owners, be they big or small, and to ensure that they do not have to compromise what their regular duty cycle is by providing them with a choice.

CES 2023 New Cenntro Introductions

CES allowed the industry to see all Cenntro products under one roof with vehicles available in Europe, and North America, says McInerney.

At CES, Cenntro introduced the first heavy-duty vehicle, the LM 864H hydrogen-powered class 8, a 6×4 semi-tractor with 186 miles of range. A battery version with battery swapping will be available in the future, she added.

It also introduced the Logistar (LS) 300, available as a van and cab chassis, and the LS 400 cab chassis with a payload of 7,700 pounds that can be used as a box truck or for cutaway delivery.

She says Logistar (LS) 100, LS 200 and LS 260 are currently on sale in Europe to meet European regulations. Cenntro has seen big adoption in Central America with programs in Turkey and is expanding into Africa. There is a Cenntro Automotive factory near Dusseldorf, Germany, that was formerly known as Tropos Motors Europe.

Also on display was the off-road TeeMak designed for heavy work demands of farms, ranches, construction and wilderness adventures with a maximum speed of 37 mph, TeeMak can carry 2204 pounds. Another Cenntro off-roader is the Desert Beaver. It is decked out with an additional light bar, front winch, hydraulic tilt bed with drop-down sides, roll bar, off-road tires, camouflage paint and other features.

Vehicles are also made at a facility in Freehold, New Jersey. Another factory in Jacksonville, Florida, is expected in the second quarter of this year.

Many Incentives for Electrification

Cenntro vehicles should be eligible for state and federal incentives, says McInerney.

"The LS 400 has been fully homologated. The EPA has done its testing for verification of the battery and range. So we have done that. And our paperwork is going into CARB (California Air Resources Board), which is extremely important." 

Cenntro vehicles before incentives are competitively priced.

"Our ability to focus on our supply chain and our supply chain partners ensures that they are solid. Offering competitive prices is a place where Cenntro really shines," says McInerney.

"Incentives are important for our customers. We want to ensure that our vehicles meet all the qualifications for incentives. But at the same time, it is our hope that the incentives allow fleet purchasers to make a decision on a vehicle that will work for them, but also allows them to extend their budget. So if an incentive allows a customer to buy an additional two vehicles for a fleet where they would not be able to do it before, that is wonderful." 

Building Blocks for Autonomous Vehicles

A big announcement at CES was the introduction of the electric iChassis. The iChassis platform includes drive-by-wire, steer-by-wire and brake-by-wire technology and CAN communication protocol. It currently comes in three sizes 80, 100 and 1000 with payloads from 1100 to 3300 pounds.

"The iChassis is designed to open up the possibility of autonomous and automated vehicles to a whole breadth of new customers and integrators. It allows the vehicle to be almost anything," says McInerney.

Each model can be upfitted for different use cases. The company is in discussion with customers to use the iChassis for mobile storage lockers or food vending at resorts and amusement parks. Other suggested uses include goods movement, surveillance/patrolling, delivery, street cleaning or advertising.

She notes that the largest, the iChassis 1000 is being considered to haul odd-sized break bulk goods. An agricultural customer is considering using it to move grain to barges.

The iChassis can be used for remote teleoperation or autonomous driving in closed areas.

iChassis systems are hardware and software agnostic and can work with a customer's proprietary software for many kinds of operations, magnetic tape or mapping.

"Our intent is to inspire the introduction of autonomous and automated vehicles within the commercial workspace," says McInerney.

Cenntro opened a partnership program to bring together an ecosystem of software suppliers and hardware upfitters that can work together. So if a customer needs the full package, they have no idea how autonomy is going to work into their business Cenntro will pull together an entire ecosystem to work with them, says McInerney.

Cenntro Support And Future Plans

To support Cenntro vehicles, Cenntro has a cloud-based platform that projects algorithms and understands what customer needs will be and then provides those parts directly to the dealer or through its EV centres. Batteries will be made in Monterey, Mexico, and the first pilot is expected to start in the second quarter of this year.

"We wanted to help people see from end to end, from class one to class four to class eight, the diversity of the products that we offer. And we wanted them to understand that we intend to be in this market for the very long haul," says McInerney about the CES display.

She says CES was so successful Cenntro has already booked exhibit space for 2024.