Lightning eMotors announced the deployment of two of its Lightning ZEV3 Class 3 passenger vans with the Utah Clean Cities East Zion pilot shuttle program. The public-private initiative is a landmark demonstration of how industry, federal and local agencies can come together to demonstrate smart mobility solutions that increase regional resiliency and connectivity. As part of a pilot program that began in 2019, EVZion has developed a zero-emission, electric vehicle (EV) shuttle system to demonstrate the efficiency of electric vehicle transportation in rural gateway communities.

The first Lightning eMotors ZEV3 shuttle buses included in this program were deployed on August 22, 2023. Lightning?s ZEV3 passenger vans have a long track record of operating in public and private transit and on-demand microtransit contexts across the county. The vans were customized with rear-facing cameras by Lightning?s partner Volition Components in Broomfield, Colorado, to allow the side mirrors to be folded so that the vans can pass each other in the tunnel.

In conjunction with the deployment of the two vans, Lightning is demonstrating Lightning Mobile, which provides DC fast charging in a trailer format. This technology is especially valuable for charging EVs in locations that may be remote from the grid. The EVZion ribbon-cutting follows a recent announcement by Teton Village, WY, about the acquisition of Lightning eMotors vehicles to replace the diesel buses that serve nearly half a million people in and around Teton Village resort.