Fleet briefs: Latest from Maxus, ZF Services and Solomon Commercials

LEVL and Geotab announce partnership with Maxus

LEVL, the authorised reseller for fleet management and telematics company, Geotab has announced a partnership with Maxus, to include Intelligence Onboard in every new Maxus electric vehicle (EV).

Through the partnership, fleets working with Maxus can use the solution which provides data-driven insights through the Geotab software platform, including near real-time insights into state of charge (SOC), energy used, energy cost, live GPS tracking, charging data and improved range.

Mark Barrett, general manager of SAIC MAXUS Ireland, said: “Offering MAXUS Intelligence Onboard with every Maxus EV provides our customers with access to powerful insights to help improve productivity and safety and that can ultimately help reduce running costs while maximising range.”

The partnership is current live in the UK wit h both companies planning to expand this offer to fleets across Europe in 2022.

ZF Services UK bolsters CV support

ZF Services UK has expanded its Nottingham Centre of Competence, offering to better support the commercial vehicle (CV) aftermarket.

The company said its repair centre has been developed to ensure customers benefit from support solutions from overhaul and remanufacture, to parts and technical support for transmissions, axles and gearboxes, backed by a specialist team.

The centre has recently boosted capacity to supply a wider stock of remanufacturered transmissions and axles, it said.

David Wakeling, head of commercial vehicles at ZF, said: “We’ve watched the market closely and listened to customers’ changing requirements and have therefore invested further in additional resources, training and equipment at our Nottingham Centre of Competence.

“This provides customers with the reassurance that we are ideally placed to support with the service and repair of the next generation of commercial vehicles.”

Solomon Commercials to create 50 new jobs

Solomon Commercials, manufacturer of rigid refrigerated vehicles, is to create 50 new jobs at the Lancashire-based business.

The company said the boost in job numbers has been prompted by a series of contract wins for high-profile retailers and increased demand for vehicles needed for businesses that have expanded home delivery services.

Anthony Clegg, sales director at Solomon Commercials, said: “Over the past two years we have been planning for, and achieving sustainable growth and combined with several contract wins complemented by repeat business, we’re in a fantastic position to expand our workforce.

“Demand for our quality vehicles remains high because we’re driven by a partnership approach with our clients, which is underpinned by our commitment to innovation. In addition, we’re investing in the business, and we now need more people to join us.”

Solomon currently employs more than 350 people and designs and manufactures refrigerated vehicles working with independent businesses to PLCs, online enterprises and retailers.

CBD drinks company invests in new electric delivery truck

The East-London based, cannabidiol (CBD) drinks company, Intune, has invested in a X-Cell compact electric truck from ePowerTrucks, for delivering online orders to customers.

The X-Cell is designed for couriers, post and parcel delivery and last mile logistics applications and is available in three different versions which have top speeds of up to 50mph with a range of up to 120 miles and can carry a 500kg payload.

Intune opted for a bespoke box body, which converts into a mobile bar for events.

Intune’s Instagram followers have dubbed the vehicle ‘Cosmo’ following a social media poll.

Nakita Banger, marketing manager at Intune, said: “Cosmo has helped us to diversify our business and show up in a fun and creative way at events, bars and venues and for our customers. We wanted an electric delivery vehicle because it is in line with our sustainability goals.

“The X-Cell is ideal for our needs, plus it also looks really distinctive and works as a mobile billboard for our business. Cosmo turns a lot of heads wherever we go, which is great for building brand awareness. It is very simple to use and to charge up, and we easily get a day’s deliveries done on a single charge.”