British commercial EV start-up Arrival has made the first van at its plant in Bicester, Oxfordshire, following a troubled gestation period described as “more difficult than we imagined” by CEO Denis Sverdlov.
Van number one was completed using all the factory’s assembly processes but won't go to a customer. Instead, it will become a 'delta' test vehicle to be used for verification processes, including range testing.
Arrival said in August that it would produce only 20 vans at the Bicester factory this year, down from April’s prediction of 400 to 600, after being hit by a cash crunch that forced it to pause the development of its electric bus and ride-hailing car, as well as reduce its headcount by 800.
The company has now completed the layoffs, platforms boss Tom Elvidge told Autocar.
