- An Arrival electric van working prototype is for sale on eBay.
- Arrival, a UK-based startup, had an order for 10,000 EVs from UPS.
- The company went into administration at the beginning of the year and all of its assets were sold.
Remember Arrival? It was a United Kingdom-based electric vehicle startup that wanted to revolutionize the world of battery-powered delivery vans by building them on the cheap in what it called “microfactories.”
One of those small factories was supposed to go online in Rock Hill, South Carolina to meet a beefy order of 10,000 electric vans for UPS. In total, Arrival had amassed about 149,000 non-binding orders in 2022 and at one point the company was valued at $15 billion. Impressive.
There were even plans to build a bus and a ride-hailing car, but it all came crashing down. The company went into administration in February and all of its assets–including its electric vehicle platforms, software, intellectual property and R&D assets–were put up for sale to pay off creditors.
Now, one of the running and driving prototypes has popped up for sale on eBay. According to the seller, who claims to have worked at the startup, the battery-powered van is fitted with the smallest battery pack that was available–a 67-kilowatt-hour unit that’s good for 112 miles of WLTP range. The EV is purportedly a late Gamma pre-production unit that was meant to go into the hands of a paying customer for testing purposes.
It was among the last 20 vans built with paperwork, so it has a VIN and can be registered and insured, according to the seller. It also has electrically operated sliding doors, which is neat.
The best thing about the listing is the extensive list of spare parts that will come with the car, including a separate battery pack, drive unit, brakes, steering racks, body parts, interior trim, lights and glasswork. In total, the seller claims to have at least six pallets worth of parts that will be delivered together with the vehicle–including overseas.
Gallery: Arrival Van revised prototype
The not-so-great part is the EV is right-hand drive, which could be quite annoying on American roads, but then again, there are plenty of cars imported from Japan that have the steering wheel on the right and they’re fine.
Another potential drawback is the price. The listing is a bid, with the vehicle going to the highest offer–currently, that’s at around $57,000, which is still cheaper than a Rivian Electric Commercial Van (and don’t forget about all those spare parts.)
It would make for a great camper, albeit a short-range one, but it’s the same story as with the Fisker Ocean. Even if you could get your hands on one for cheap, would you risk it, considering the company no longer offers support?
