Zero Nox

What Zero Nox does

Zero Nox (operating as Zeronox) is a privately held commercial-vehicle electrification company founded in 2017 in Porterville, California, by Robert Cruess and Vonn Christenson. The company designs and manufactures the proprietary Zeronox Electric Powertrain Platform (ZEPP), a modular electric powertrain system that integrates a lithium-iron battery pack, battery management system, liquid-cooled permanent magnet motor, onboard charger, programmable power electronics controller, and telematics into a kit intended to replace internal combustion engines in commercial and industrial vehicles without performance compromise. ZEPP underpins the company's core solutions: OEM Electrification, Fleet Conversions, Zeronox Telematics, Forklift Battery Upgrades, and Renewable Microgrids.

The company's revenue model combines hardware sales of powertrain kits and lithium-iron battery systems with professional services for OEM co-design, integration engineering, training, and post-sales support. It operates three go-to-market motions in parallel: OEM embedded partnerships (Kubota, LS Tractor, Tuatara UTV), enterprise field sales for large fleet conversions (Jospong Group, $140M refuse-truck contract), and sales-led distribution through a dealer portal and the PEAK Handling forklift distributorship. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed.

Zero Nox operates a 42,000-square-foot California facility and is reported at 11-50 employees. It has raised Series A and Series B funding and conducted a 2024 Reg CF offering of up to $5M. Customers and partners span waste management (Jospong Group, Ghana), agricultural OEMs (Kubota, LS Tractor), airport ground support (LAX Tom Bradley Terminal), cold storage (Frontier Cooling), material handling (PEAK), and off-road/UTV (Tuatara). Patent-pending technologies include the Vortex Infusion Chamber and Iron Vault Energy Storage System.

Name

Zero Nox

Legal name

Zero Nox Inc.

Website

https://zeronox.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Zero Nox (Zeronox) designs and manufactures the proprietary ZEPP modular electric powertrain platform for commercial and industrial vehicles. The Porterville, California-based company serves OEMs and fleet operators globally with battery systems, telematics, and engineering services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Vehicle Electrification

NAICS

Motor Vehicle Transmission and Power Train Parts Manufacturing (33635), Engine, Turbine, and Power Transmission Equipment Manufacturing (3336), Mechanical Power Transmission Equipment Manufacturing (333613)

SIC

Motors & Generators (3621), Electronic & Other Electrical Equipment (No Computer Equip) (3600)

akta.pro primary industry

Truck & Commercial Vehicle Electrification Manufacturing (eAxles/Battery Packs/Fuel Cells) (IMACABAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Aftermarket Battery, Charging & Power Accessories Manufacturing (12V Batteries/Jump Starters/Chargers/Inverters) (IMACANAL), Light Electric Vehicles (NEVs/LSEVs/Quadricycles) Manufacturing (IMACAOAC)

Keywords

• Electric powertrain platform
• Commercial vehicle electrification
• Lithium-iron battery systems
• Fleet conversion solutions
• OEM electrification kits

Headquarters

HQ city

Porterville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Electric Powertrain Platform (ZEPP) Sales: Sale of complete electric powertrain platform kits and components to OEMs and fleet operators. Custom-designed kits for specific applications including battery systems, motors, controllers, and charging equipment. Revenue from both product sales and associated engineering/integration services.
2. Battery Technology Sales: Sale of lithium-iron phosphate battery systems for forklift and material handling equipment upgrades. Rapid opportunity charging, no maintenance, lower operating cost proposition.
3. OEM Electrification Services: Engineering services including team of engineers for electrification, design of unique electric powertrain platform kits, training and support, execution support for bringing electric vehicles to market, and post-sales service and support.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Zero Nox designs, manufactures, and integrates the Zeronox Electric Powertrain Platform (ZEPP), a modular electric powertrain system used to replace internal combustion engines in commercial and industrial vehicles. The company sells complete powertrain kits, lithium-iron battery systems, telematics software, and engineering services to OEMs and fleet operators seeking to electrify refuse trucks, forklifts, agricultural equipment, UTVs, and other off-highway vehicles.

Product overview

Zero Nox (Zeronox) offers a platform-plus-modules architecture centered on the proprietary Zeronox Electric Powertrain Platform (ZEPP). ZEPP is the core technology that powers all solutions, including OEM Electrification (collaborative design with OEMs), Fleet Conversions (gas-to-electric conversion kits), and Forklift Battery Upgrades (lithium-iron technology). The company also provides Zeronox Telematics for real-time fleet monitoring and diagnostics, and Renewable Microgrids for sustainable power generation. Supporting tools include a Vehicle Conversion Calculator and Battery Cost Calculator.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ZEPP: Zeronox Electric Powertrain Platform - the company's proprietary electric powertrain technology for commercial and industrial vehicles
• ION
• PEAK Material Handling
• PEAK Handling

Products and services

• Zeronox Electric Powertrain Platform (ZEPP) Proprietary modular electric powertrain platform designed to replace internal combustion engines in commercial and industrial vehicles without compromising performance. Includes lithium-iron battery, BMS, permanent magnet motor, onboard charger, power electronics controller, and telematics.
• OEM Electrification

Quantifiable outcome

• 4x longer battery lifespan compared to industry standard lead-acid batteries
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• KubotacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Kubota Corporation signed agreements with Zero Nox Inc. to advance alternative fuel technologies for off-highway vehicles. Ongoing confidential electrification projects. Kubota is a major Japanese manufacturer of agricultural machinery and construction equipment.
• Jospong Group of CompaniesflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Flagship strategic partnership established in 2022. $140 million contract for electrification of 1,000 refuse trucks in Ghana. Jospong is one of the most diversified holdings companies in Ghana with operations in waste management, ICT, banking, and automobiles. Committed to sustainability and zero-emission fleet transformation.
• PEAK Material HandlingcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Strategic partnership landed in 2021 to develop PEAK brand electric forklifts. Established distributorship for PEAK Handling forklifts in 2022.
• Tuatara UTVcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Electrification partnership formed in 2019 with Tuatara UTV. Formalized distribution agreement and began growing product demand for UTV line. First all-electric Tuatara UTV powered by ZEPP unveiled at World Ag Expo 2020.
• LS TractorcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing confidential electrification projects with LS Tractor, a manufacturer of agricultural tractors. Partnership involves development of electric tractor solutions.
• Premier TrailerminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGene Cuelho, founder of Premier Trailer (largest trailer manufacturer in California), serves on Zeronox Board of Directors. Premier Trailer represents potential distribution channel for electrification technology.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Workhorse Group: Workhorse produces electric delivery vehicles and drones. Comparable in commercial fleet electrification focus and battery-electric powertrain delivery.
• OneCharge: OneCharge manufactures lithium-ion batteries for forklifts and material handling equipment. Closely comparable to Zeronox's forklift battery upgrade product line.
• Proterra: Proterra designs electric powertrains and battery systems for heavy-duty commercial vehicles including buses and trucks. Direct competitor in commercial vehicle electrification with battery technology depth.
• Xos Trucks: Xos manufactures electric commercial vehicles (last-mile delivery, work trucks) with proprietary powertrains. Comparable in targeting fleet electrification with modular EV solutions.
• Motiv Power Systems: Motiv builds electric chassis and powertrains for medium-duty trucks and buses. Shares Zeronox's OEM-embedded and fleet conversion GTM with modular electric drivetrains.
• Lightning eMotors: Lightning eMotors designs and manufactures electric powertrains for medium-duty commercial vehicles (vans, buses, trucks). Directly comparable to Zeronox's ZEPP platform approach to commercial fleet electrification.
• Flux Power: Flux Power supplies lithium-ion battery packs for forklifts, ground support, and other industrial vehicles. Direct peer in lithium battery upgrades for material handling and industrial fleets.
• Hyliion: Hyliion develops electric and hybrid powertrain technologies for Class 8 trucks and commercial vehicles. Closely comparable to Zeronox's commercial-vehicle powertrain focus.

Broad incumbents

• Cummins: Cummins is a global incumbent in diesel powertrains now aggressively moving into commercial vehicle electrification. Represents the broad-incumbent threat to niche players like Zeronox.

Emerging players

• Volta Trucks: Volta Trucks developed electric commercial vehicles for urban logistics before insolvency and restructuring; relevant comparable for Zeronox's commercial EV powertrain positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ZeronoxInc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/Zeronox
• Instagraminstagram.com/Zeronoxinc/?hl=en
• Xx.com/ZeroNoxInc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds4 records

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Zero Nox