* Major automakers racing to mass produce electric vans
By Nick Carey and Ben Klayman
FARNHAM, England, Feb 15 (Reuters) - As traditional automakers prepare to churn out electric vans and trucks, startups are focused more than ever on finding a competitive or technological edge to stay on the road once their bigger rivals start moving through the gears.
Spurred on by looming bans on combustion engines in China and Europe, major automakers are striving to bring their commercial electric vehicles (EV) to market fast and ensure they don't get caught out again by another Tesla.
"The startups all bring something to the party," says Jean-Michel Renaudie, senior vice president for industrial and commercial transportation at auto supplier TE Connectivity
) . "The question is, what's your unique selling point?"
UPS worked with Arrival on designing a chassis, powertrain and van bodies and has now ordered up to 10,000 vans.
"We saw that as a solution we can scale up to support our global operations," said Luke Wake, UPS vice president of maintenance and engineering.