REE’s P7-C becomes first ‘x-by-wire’ EV certified in US, may qualify for up to $100k in incentives
Two years after first announcing its P7 EV platform, REE Automotive has achieved US certification for the first-ever vehicle that operates entirely through steer-by-wire, brake-by-wire, and drive-by-wire technology. Following the achievement, REE has begun deliveries of its P7-C electric truck.
REE Automotive, Inc.’s ($REE) most recent milestone comes during a busy news week during CES 2024. It was two years ago at CES 2022 when the EV startup first introduced its modular P7 platform, designed with fleets in mind – particularly delivery operators in the US.
Since then, we’ve seen the company unveil a novel Class 3 box truck called the P7-B, lock in a battery supplier, and introduce an additional REE EV called the P7-C. In the last six months of 2023, REE was garnering huge customer interest for its incoming EVs, and as of its Q3 2023 earnings, its books were valued at over $40 million in binding orders.
Around the same time as that news, REE stated that EPA certification and confirmed Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) certification-feasibility of its x-by-wire system in the P7 platform was underway, and it remained on track to begin its first EV deliveries before the end of 2023.
Now, eleven days into 2024, REE has confirmed initial deliveries of its P7-C chassis cab following EPA and FMVSS certification in the US – the first full x-by-wire EV to do so.
REE completes first deliveries of P7-C EV
This morning, the EV startup shared that demonstration models of its P7-C chassis cab, equipped with REE’s proprietary REEcorner and x-by-wire technology, have begun making their way to its authorized dealer network, starting with Pritchard EV in Iowa.
Initial deliveries began now that REE has become the first company ever to certify a full steer-by-wire, brake-by-wire, and drive-by-wire vehicle, offering a modular design, fewer parts, and maintenance, plus a shorter time to market.
REE now looks to its dealership network to get its P7 platform out in front of fleet customers in the US, beginning with the P7-C. Per REE co-founder and CEO Daniel Barel:
I believe our REEcorner is a true gamechanger, allowing us to build electric trucks that fleets will want to buy, and drivers will love to drive as we continue to see a strong demand for our work trucks. I am incredibly proud of team REE for completing certification of the automotive industry’s first ever fully x-by-wire vehicle. Our customers have been eagerly waiting for our vehicles to be ready to deliver and now our first demo trucks are on their way to dealerships for customer evaluations.
With dealer deliveries underway, REE stated that its P7-C EV is eligible for the IRS’ Commercial Clean Vehicle Tax Credit in the US, enabling a tax credit of up to $40,000 per vehicle. Furthermore, the startup said it is also in the process of obtaining approved eligibility for various state incentives, which could bolster total incentives of over $100,000 per vehicle, depending on where that customer resides.
Following initial P7-C deliveries to Pritchard EV, REE says additional authorized dealers and leading fleet customers will receive demonstration vehicles in the coming weeks.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
Paris’ bike-share system, Vélib has long been considered one of the shining success stories of urban micromobility. With a massive fleet of over 20,000 pedal and electric-assist bicycles around Paris, the service has helped millions of residents and tourists get around the City of Light without needing a car or scooter. But lately, a growing problem is threatening to knock the wheels off this urban mobility marvel: theft and joyriding.
According to city officials and the service operator, more than 600 Vélib bikes are now going missing every single week. That’s over 30 bikes a day simply vanishing from the system – some stolen outright, others taken on “joy rides” and never returned.
“At the moment we’re missing 3,000 bikes,” explained Sylvain Raifaud, head of the Agemob company that currently operates the Velib system. That’s nearly 15% of over 20,000 Vélib bikes across Paris.
The sticky-fingered culprits aren’t necessarily professional thieves or organized crime rings. Instead, they’re often regular users who treat the shared bikes like disposable toys.
The city estimates that many people have figured out how to pry the bikes out of the system’s parking docks, unlocking one for a casual cruise and then ditching it somewhere far from a docking station.
Once pried free, the bikes are technically usable for the next 24 hours until their automatic locking feature kicks in. At that point, the bikes are often simply abandoned. Some end up in alleyways. Others get tossed in rivers. A few just disappear completely.
And since the bikes are intended to be parked at their many docking stations around the city, they don’t have GPS chips, further complicating recovery of “liberated” bikes.
The issue started small but has grown into more than an inconvenience – it’s beginning to undermine the entire purpose of the service. With bikes going missing at such a high rate, many Vélib docking stations are left empty, especially during rush hours.
Riders looking for a quick commute or a convenient hop across town are increasingly finding themselves without available bikes, or having to walk long distances to find a functioning one.
That kind of unreliability chips away at user confidence and threatens to drive potential riders back into cars, cabs, or other less sustainable forms of transport at a time when Paris has already made great strides to dramatically reduce car usage in the city.
The losses are financially painful, too. Replacing stolen or vandalized bikes isn’t cheap, and the resources spent on tracking down missing equipment or reinforcing anti-theft measures are stretching thin. Vélib has faced theft and vandalism issues before, especially during its early years, but this latest surge has officials sounding the alarm with renewed urgency.
Officials acknowledge that there’s no easy fix. Paris, like many cities with bike-share systems, walks a fine line between accessibility and accountability. Part of what makes Vélib so successful is its ease of use and widespread availability. But those same features make it vulnerable to misuse – especially when enforcement is limited and the consequences for abuse are minimal.
The timing of the problem is especially unfortunate. In recent years, Paris has seen impressive results in reducing car traffic, expanding bike lanes, and promoting cycling as a key part of its sustainable transport strategy. Vélib is a cornerstone of that plan. But if the system becomes too unreliable, it risks losing the very people it was designed to serve.
Meanwhile, as Parisians increasingly find themselves staring at empty docks, the challenge for the city and Vélib will be to restore confidence in the system without making it harder to use. That means striking the right balance between freedom and responsibility, between open access and protection against abuse.
In a city where cycling is supposed to be the future of mobility, losing thousands of bikes to joyriders and sticky fingers isn’t just frustrating; it’s unsustainable.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
-
Sports3 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports1 year agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports2 years agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports4 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Sports2 years agoButton battles heat exhaustion in NASCAR debut
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike