Today’s Pickup: Panasonic joins Tropos Motors for connected last-mile solution
January 7th, 2020 by Brian Straight
Industry giant Panasonic has teamed with Tropos Motors on new concept electric vehicles designed for local and last-mile applications.
The two compact utility vehicles will be equipped with Panasonic’s proprietary software and cloud services platform OneConnect. The emergency services and last-mile refrigeration vehicles are on display this week at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES 2020) in Las Vegas.
OneConnect is a global platform designed to monitor and report on vehicle health. The platform provides predictive maintenance reminders and analytics to the original equipment manufacturers and the driver/vehicle owner. OneConnect analytics can be customized to focus on electric vehicle data to create algorithms that improve battery efficiency to optimize the short- and long-term state of health of the vehicle and one’s total investment, Panasonic said.
The vehicles are built by Tropos, which is focused on creating “right-sized” electric vehicles. The last-mile refrigeration cargo van features a Hussmann cold chain solution and vacuum insulation panel (VIP) insulated coolers. According to Panasonic, this technology enables contents to stay 13 times colder than in regular polyurethane coolers and is thinner to allow for more product in the cooler. In addition, with compartmentalized cooling, there is no additional energy draw on the electrical and battery system of the truck.
The second vehicle is an emergency fire truck. The vehicle has a footprint that fits on cart paths, allowing it to access tighter spaces. It is equipped with Panasonic’s OneConnect as well as a rugged Panasonic Toughbook FZ-G1 tablet to track and receive emergency information.
“The goal is to address the needs of businesses that depend on small commercial vehicles with a practical and efficient solution,” John Bautista, Tropos founder and CEO, said. “With an ability to accommodate both large and purpose-built payloads, our vehicles are created with versatility in mind to fulfill the requirements of any corporate, first-responder, agricultural or last-mile application.”
