Vicinity Motor Corp. announced that it has signed a distribution agreement with Central States Bus Sales, Inc. (Central States) to offer the Company's full product portfolio, including an initial commitment for 18 demo and stock buses.

Central States supplies school and commercial buses annually to customers throughout the region, providing a host of transportation solutions. Central States offers full-service facilities in Missouri, Illinois, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Arkansas.

The VMC distribution agreement covers seven states extending from Kentucky to Nebraska.

"As the one of the largest school and commercial bus dealers and a well-respected brand, Central States adds significant sales opportunities for our product line and expands our reach in the center of the United States," said William Trainer, founder/CEO of Vicinity Motor Corp. "Central States has decades of experience serving and maintaining fleets in the region with warranty, training and technical capabilities to provide industry leading customer support. The initial order of VMC Optimal vehicles demonstrates increasing interest from established dealers to offer traditional customers all-electric options that mitigate exposure to energy and carbon costs - while still providing the range, speeds and gradeability required in daily real-world operation. We look forward to helping the Central States sales team share the benefits of our heavy-duty, light-duty and special purpose electric vehicles with customers."

Under the new agreement, Central States will distribute Vicinity vehicles throughout the central region.

"We see a good fit with VMC products among our portfolio of quality bus brands - completing our full range of bus offerings," said Jeff Reitz, president/CEO of Central States. "As our customers increasingly look for options to meet their sustainability and ESG goals, we are excited by the unique and specific solutions that VMC products can offer our customers. The VMC Lightning, Classic and Optimal designs are positioned to fill gaps in our offering and allow us to tailor solutions specifically to our customers' needs."