Autocar sets up EV assembly space

Autocar LLC says it now has an electric vehicle (EV) assembly line at its manufacturing facility in Birmingham, Alabama. The company makes vocational trucks, including models for the waste and recycling sector.

“When we set up the Birmingham plant in 2017, it was a significant moment for Autocar and we got it done in record time," says Andrew Taitz board chair of Autocar. "Deepening the plant’s capabilities with our own EV assembly technology [shows] we have the talent, vision and commitment to keep advancing with all market developments.”

Hagerstown, Maryland-based Autocar's in-house designed powerpacks and high-voltage battery packs are the first EV powertrain components being assembled on the new line in Birmingham. Taitz says the new EV line can help Autocar meet customer expectations regardless of their powertrain choice.

“Our customers know, trust and expect Autocar quality,” Taitz says. “Whichever powertrain option Autocar customers choose, build quality is never optional. It’s a given. Assembling our battery packs in-house, on a dedicated EV line, is the latest technology commitment to our promise of ‘Always Up,’ for all our trucks.”

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During the build phases of Autocar’s EV power units and battery packs, assembly technicians can access digital confirmation terminals and scanners to validate the health of each truck’s battery and electrical architecture, the firm says.

Autocar says its new EV line leverages the experience and awareness of master assembly technicians with the benefits of a digitally enhanced assembly system.

The truck maker credits Birmingham-based Blackstone Construction for having shaped and installed the structure for Autocar’s new EV line.

Autocar also cites industrial engineering and technical expertise provided by Chicago-based Triz Advanced Manufacturing. Autocar was assisted by that company’s Triz Engineering business unit in setting up the dedicated EV component assembly line “to ensure the best power unit and battery pack build quality.”

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The truck maker says its EV Terminal Tractor (E-ACTT) is the brand’s first truck to benefit from components made using the Triz Advanced Manufacturing design, integrating power units and battery packs created in Birmingham at a final assembly point in Hagerstown, where the E-ACTT is built.

Autocar indicates its portfolio of assembled EV components is scheduled to expand in the future.