Karma Automotive LLC has delivered its first commercial EVs to Los Angeles International Airport.
The Irvine luxury EV maker provided LAX a three-vehicle fleet of electric shuttles designed to transport customers of QuikPark, the airport’s parking service, from the parking lot to their terminals. The retro-fitting process, where Karma converts gas-powered vehicles to electric, takes about four days and can extend the life of a vehicle by 10 years, company officials said.
“In today’s environment, there aren’t enough commercial trucks to be purchased—gas and electric,” Karma Senior VP, Business Development Christine Willett told the Business Journal at a ceremony Karma held for the launch of its new commercial EVs. “So we really feel like retrofitting, especially in the next five to seven years, is going to fill a really important gap in helping the needs of fleet operators.”
Karma officials said they expect to deliver 1,000 to 2,000 retrofitted EV shuttles by next year. The company is currently building out a network of commercial electrification partners around the U.S.
