We now know who will supply the batteries for the futuristic driverless electric heavy-duty truck from Silicon Valley startup Solo Advanced Vehicle Technologies (or Solo AVT).
It’s just been announced that Solo has signed a supply deal with the Michigan-based American Battery Solutions (ABS) to develop battery packs for the SD1 truck.
“We’re focused on decarbonizing the logistics industry,” Solo AVT CEO and founder Graham Doorley.
Doorley, a Stanford engineering graduate, did stints at Tesla, Google X, Waymo, as well as Lockheed Martin.
He’s now heading up this project with the SD1 set to potentially compete with the likes of Tesla and Nikola for a share of the battery-electric truck market.
We gave you a first glimpse of the potentially revolutionary new truck earlier in the month.
The SD1 idea took root when Doorley was working at Waymo on automating heavy trucks supplied by manufacturers PACCAR and Daimler.
But, rather than retrofitting existing diesel-powered vehicles, Solo AVT is designing the SD1 from the ground up.
The company has said it expects the SD1 to have a range exceeding 500 miles between charges, with fast charging capability and 600kW of power delivered to multi-speed tandem axles with integrated electric motors.
Solo AVT is talking to potential commercial customers for the SD1, but Doorley did not provide specifics.
There’s also been no firm commitment yet to where the truck will be manufactured.
American Battery Solutions has a lithium-ion battery manufacturing facility in Ohio and a technical center in Michigan.
