Vicinity Motor Corp said it has signed a distribution agreement with Central States Bus Sales Inc, one of the largest school and commercial bus dealers in the US, to offer the company's full product portfolio, including an initial commitment for 18 demo and stock buses.
Headquartered in Fenton, Missouri, Vicinity noted that Central States has been a regional leader in bus sales and service since 1975, supplying thousands of school and commercial buses annually to customers throughout the region and providing a host of transportation solutions.
As one of the largest bus dealers in the country, Central States offers full-service facilities in Missouri, Illinois, Tennessee, Kentucky and Arkansas. The distribution agreement covers seven states extending from Kentucky to Nebraska providing Vicinity with a significant advantage in this important market, the company added.
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"As one of the largest school and commercial bus dealers and a well-respected brand, Central States adds significant sales opportunities for our product line and expands our reach in the center of the United States," Vicinity founder and CEO William Trainer said in a statement. "Central States has decades of experience serving and maintaining fleets in the region with warranty, training and technical capabilities to provide industry-leading customer support.”
Under the new agreement, Central States will distribute Vicinity vehicles throughout the entire central region. The Vicinity line fills in key transit, EV and shuttle opportunities within Central States' portfolio of vehicles, further enhancing its product offering to current customers while expanding into new market sectors.
Vicinity said the initial order of VMC Optimal vehicles demonstrates increasing interest from established dealers to offer traditional customers all-electric options that mitigate exposure to energy and carbon costs - while still providing the range, speeds and gradeability required in daily real-world operation.
"We see a good fit with VMC products among our portfolio of quality bus brands - completing our full range of bus offerings,” Central States president and CEO Jeff Reitz added. “As our customers increasingly look for options to meet their sustainability and ESG goals, we are excited by the unique and specific solutions that VMC products can offer our customers. The VMC Lightning, Classic and Optimal designs are positioned to fill gaps in our offering and allow us to tailor solutions specifically to our customers' needs."
Vicinity is a North American supplier of electric vehicles for both public and commercial enterprise use. It supplies its flagship electric, CNG and clean-diesel Vicinity buses, the VMC 1200 electric truck and a VMC Optimal-EV shuttle bus.
Contact the author at stephen.gunnion@proactiveinvestors.com