VIA Motors, makers of the VTRUX brand of extended-range plug-in trucks, just launched its first high-volume electric vehicle assembly plant this week, located in a new facility in San Luis Potosi, Mexico.
The facility — which is strategically placed in a free-trade zone, and also near a number of important automakers and suppliers — will now serve as the site where new vehicles sent from the General Motors production facility in Silao are transformed into electric vehicles, a transformation that is accomplished via the integration of VIA’s proprietary extended range electric power train.
Green Car Congress provides further details:
The facility employs a conveyor-scissor lift system that moves conventional vehicles through 8 assembly stations where technicians raise or lower the vehicle at each station to install electric and other components.
VIA employs a streamlined second stage manufacturing process to integrate its proprietary V-DRIVE™ power train into new OEM vehicles, then sells directly to fleets under the VTRUX brand name. VIA VTRUX deliver up to 40-mile battery range and unlimited extended range, averaging more than 100 mpg in typical daily driving.
Commenting on the production capabilities of the new facility, Pablo Acedo, president of VIA Motors Latin America (VMLM), stated: “VIA’s unique assembly system will be able to output two electric vehicles per hour and 10,000 vehicles per year.”
In related news — among the many useful qualities/features of the VTRUX is its recently unveiled capacity to serve as an emergency power generator. The VTRUX is apparently able to utilize its 150-kilowatt generator to potentially power whole work sites or disaster relief camps.