Karma Automotive will produce B-ON’s eLCVs for US, Canada, and Latin America
EV automaker Karma Automotive is further focusing its production strategy to support commercial EVs, more specifically B-ON, under a new manufacturing partnership announced this week. Karma will begin production this year at its ISO-certified facility in California with the capability to produce up to 30,000 electric vehicles annually with the intent to expand from there to meet the demand for B-ON’s vehicles.
Karma Automotive is an American luxury EV automaker spun out from the first iteration of Fisker Automotive after Chinese auto-parts supplier Wanxiang Group purchased the company’s assets in 2014. The acquisition included the Fisker Karma sedan, from which the new name was derived.
In 2016, the rebranded auto manufacturer released the Revero, which was a revamped version of Fisker Karma. It was followed by the Revero GT, which was intended to become the brand’s halo vehicle but never really reached the potential the automaker sought for it.
In 2021, Karma introduced its new GS line of EVs, including a GS-6 PHEV and all-electric GS-e6, which again, never truly emerged in the EV market. By the summer of 2021, Karma Automotive announced it was expanding outside of the world of electric passenger vehicles to assist commercial fleets in speedier electrification.
Honestly, we have heard little from the company since then until news emerged late last night that it has signed a manufacturing agreement with B-ON to produce light commercial EVs at its own facilities.
Karma Automotive to begin building eLCVs later this year
Karma has announced that it has formed a partnership with B-ON to produce the company’s eLCVs at its 555,000-square-foot facility in California beginning this year. Karma Automotive states it will produce an initial run of B-ON’s all-electric delivery trucks in 2023 ahead of full-scale production in 2024.
Neither company shared how many eLCVs Karma is aiming to produce this year, but its current footprint has the capability to manufacture 30,000 vehicles annually. Karma Automotive CEO Jeff Wawryzniak spoke to the new partnership with B-ON:
It’s abundantly clear to us at Karma that the market for electric commercial vehicles is poised for rapid growth. B-ON’s product is a proven winner in this market, and we are proud to be partnering with B-ON to be the exclusive manufacturer in North America of their last mile delivery vehicles. Their product combined with our existing technical expertise and Customized Flexible Manufacturing operational capabilities as an OEM is a recipe for success, both in 2023 and down the line as the partnership grows.
The automakers state that B-ON’s demand continues to grow in the US, Canada, and Latin America and hope expanded production in California can help deliver more electric commercial vehicles to those markets. B-ON founder and CEO Stefan Krause also spoke:
Demand for our electric light commercial vehicles is quickly expected to outstrip our capacity to build them in Germany alone. We knew we would need to expand production capacity this year, and Karma’s facility in California perfectly positions us to address the booming North and South American markets while also giving us access to their world-class workforce and capabilities.
Pre-production of the B-ON eLCVs at Karma Automotive’s Innovation and Customization Center is expected to commence in July.
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Environment
U.S. crude oil falls below $60 a barrel to lowest since 2021 on tariff-fueled recession fears
A view shows disused oil pump jacks at the Airankol oil field operated by Caspiy Neft in the Atyrau Region, Kazakhstan April 2, 2025.
Pavel Mikheyev | Reuters
U.S. oil prices dropped below $60 a barrel on Sunday on fears President Donald Trump’s global tariffs would push the U.S., and maybe the world, into a recession.
Futures tied to U.S. West Texas intermediate crude fell more than 3% to $59.74 on Sunday night. The move comes after back-to-back 6% declines last week. WTI is now at the lowest since April 2021.
Worries are mounting that tariffs could lead to higher prices for businesses, which could lead to a slowdown in economic activity that would ultimately hurt demand for oil.
Oil futures, 5 years
The tariffs, which are set to take effect this week, “would likely push the U.S. and possibly global economy into recession this year,” according to JPMorgan. The firm on Thursday raised its odds of a recession this year to 60% following the tariff rollout, up from 40%.
Fueled by incentives from the Illinois EPA and the state’s largest utility company, new EV registrations nearly quadrupled the 12% first-quarter increase in EV registrations nationally – and there are no signs the state is slowing down.
Despite the dramatic slowdown of Tesla’s US deliveries, sales of electric vehicles overall have perked up in recent months, with Illinois’ EV adoption rate well above the Q1 uptick nationally. Crain’s Chicago Business reports that the number of new EVs registered across the state totaled 9,821 January through March, compared with “just” 6,535 EVs registered in the state during the same period in 2024.
Those numbers represent more than 50% growth in EV registrations – far beyond the expected 12% first-quarter increase nationally being projected by Cox Automotive. (!)
What’s going on in Illinois?
While President Trump and Elmo were running for re-election, they campaigned on the threat promise of canceling the $7,500 federal tax credit for EVs. Along with California Governor Gavin Newsom, Illinois’ Governor JB Pritzker made countermoves – launching a $4,000 rebate for new electric cars and up to $1,500 for the purchase of a new electric motorcycle.
At the same time, the state’s largest utility, ComEd, launched a $90 million EV incentive program featuring a new Point of Purchase initiative to deliver instant discounts to qualifying business and public sector customers who make the switch to electric vehicles. That program has driven a surge in Class 3-6 medium duty commercial EVs, which are eligible fro $20-30,000 in utility rebates on top of federal tax credits and other incentives (Class 1-2 EVs are eligible for up to $7,500).
We covered the launch of those incentives when the program was announced at Chicago Drives Electric last year, but the message here is simple: incentives work.
SOURCES: Chicago Business, Ray Cunningham; featured image by the author.
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The electric construction equipment experts at XCMG just released a new, 25 ton electric crawler excavator ahead of bauma 2025 – and they have their eye on the global urban construction, mine operations, and logistical material handling markets.
Powered by a high-capacity 400 kWh lithium iron phosphate battery capable of delivering up to 8 hours of continuous operation, the XE215EV electric excavator promises uninterrupted operation at a lower cost of ownership and with even less downtime than its diesel counterparts.
XCMG is delivering on part of that reduced downtime promise with the lower maintenance and easier repair needs of electric equipment, and delivering on the rest of it with lickety-quick DC fast charging that can recharge the machine’s massive battery in 1.5-2 hours … but that’s not the slick bit. The XCMG XE125EV can be powered up without leaving the job site thanks to its BYD battery swap technology.
We first covered XCMG and its battery swap technology back in January, and covered similar battery-swap tech being developed by MOOG Construction offshoot ZQUIP, as well – but while XCMG’s battery tech has been in production for several years, it’s still not widely known about in the West (even within the industry).
XCMG showed off its latest electric equipment at the December 2024 bauma China, including an updated version of its of its 85-ton autonomous electric mining truck that features a fully cab-less design – meaning there isn’t even a place for an operator to sit, let alone operate. And that’s too bad, because what operator wouldn’t want to experience an electric truck putting down 1070 hp more than 16,000 lb-ft of torque!?
Easy in, easy out
The best part? All of the company’s heavy equipment assets – from excavators to terminal tractors to dump trucks and wheel loaders – all use the same 400 kWh BYD battery packs, Milwaukee tool style. That means an equipment fleet can utilize x number of vehicles with a fraction of the total battery capacity and material needs of other asset brands. That’s not just a smart use of limited materials, it’s a smarter use of energy.
You can check out all the XE215EV’s specs at this tear sheet, and get an in-person look at the Chinese company’s latest electric excavator this week in Munich, Germany.
SOURCE | IMAGES: XCMG.
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