Zero Motorcycles Announces Another Big Partnership

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Zero Motorcycles Announces North American Partnership With Viatec Incorporated as Supplier of Powertrains for SMARTPTO Electrohydraulic Systems in Aerial Lift Markets

SANTA CRUZ, Calif.- Zero Motorcycles, the global leader in electric motorcycles and powertrains, announces today their long-term partnership with Viatec Inc. to include supply of Zero Motorcycles electric powertrains for Viatec Inc.’s line of SMARTPTO electrohydraulic systems that recently gained eligibility for funding by California Air Resource Board’s Heavy Vehicle Incentive Program.

The 10-year agreement aligns Zero Motorcycles’ state of the art engineering and production capabilities with Viatec’s goal to be the industry standard for reliable vocational vehicle electrification. With Zero powertrains as an integral part of SMARTPTO “plug and work” systems, the modular architecture seamlessly electrifies all work and safety functions across any vocational truck chassis. SMARTPTO systems are now deployed at major utilities across the US on the top three selling bucket truck brands.

“We have carefully vetted leaders in the segments we want to empower with these world class powertrains and Viatec stands out through their commitment to cost effective, ready to work solutions in their market spaces,” said Jim Callahan, VP of Global Business Development for Zero Motorcycles. “We look forward to supporting their growth and success as a result of Zero Motorcycles’ significant investment to deploy our technology broadly as the shift to vehicle electrification continues.”

“Our partnership with Zero Motorcycles is built upon years of testing and field validation under demanding outdoor conditions that confirmed our engineering team’s belief this is the most robust and dependable powertrain capable to meet the rigorous demands of our customers,” says Mark Ferri, CEO of Viatec. “Zero Motorcycles has been our partner through each stage of development, so it is gratifying that we now have a strong commercial agreement reflecting the hard work and dedication of both parties to realize our ambition of becoming the industry standard for aerial lift electrification.”

SMARTPTO systems are equipped with advanced telematics rendering global accessibility to a new level of work-related data and system operability. Fleet operators can see in real time aerial lift operations and worksite emissions reductions as well as fuel cost savings according to Viatec. SMARTPTO systems are truly “plug and work” systems that are upfitted by the OEM or by fleet operations facilities in under 2 days’ time. The system powers not only all hydraulic functions of the truck but also provides export power for electrical equipment as well as the truck battery. Operators report smoother and more precise bucket movements which is due to SMARTPTO’s intelligent design that manages fluid flow to a new level of precision not available in conventionally powered PTO systems. Plugging in the system to 120V or 240V supply overnight ensures it's ready to perform all day, every day. In California and soon in other markets, SMARTPTO systems are certified and eligible for purchase incentive funding, according to Viatec.

Matthew Swinnerton