Several prominent companies have already taken significant measures to reduce their carbon footprints by embracing and introducing sustainable transportation solutions. Primarily, they have either adopted or announced plans to expand the number of electric vehicles (EVs) as part of the growing number of greener vehicles within their fleets.
Let’s take a brief spin through a few companies’ most recent efforts to see how and where big wheels are turning to a greener format.
Leading Companies Bolster Sustainability Efforts by Expanding EV Fleets
A drive around town and looking at small, locally owned businesses will indicate the use of EVs by either looking at the vehicles or the signs attached. Some of these businesses use EVs to meet their sustainability pledges, while others have discovered the economic benefits of lower energy and maintenance costs. And since “fleets” can be as small as one vehicle, the closest fleet to you could be the electrician down the street who has gone EV.
However, it’s the larger companies that make news of their switches to EV fleets. Here are some recent companies that have made their electrification switches known on both their websites and in the press.
- Penske truck leasing electrifies its fleets with Xos EVs
Penske Truck Leasing, a prominent transportation services provider, announced its partnership with Xos, Inc., a leading heavy-duty fully electric commercial vehicle manufacturer, to add Xos 100% battery-powered electric trucks to its fleet for commercial applications. Penske has opted for Class 6 EVs, known as Stepvans, with an impressive range of up to 150 miles on a single charge. The vans’ features include a 178-inch wheelbase, 347 kW maximum horsepower, and max torque of 1,737 ft-lbs.
Photo provided by https://finance.yahoo.com/news - Domino’s Pizza delivers—electrically–with more than 1100 EV delivery vehicles
How do you like your pizza? Domino’s believes its customers prefer their pies delivered in a sustainable fashion. The company recently expanded its EV fleet significantly, with plans to pull in more than 1100 custom-branded Chevy Bolt electric vehicles for pizza delivery at franchise and corporate stores by the end of the year.
The Michigan-based company says it will constitute the country’s largest electric pizza delivery fleet. These vehicles offer environmental advantages such as zero tailpipe emissions and lower maintenance costs, helping illustrate the efficiencies and benefits of EVs for the food delivery industry.
- Ryder System electrifies its fleet with GM BrightDrop Vans
Major logistics and transportation company Ryder System Inc. plans to add 4,000 electric vans to its lease and rental fleet by 2025. The move comes in response to tightening greenhouse emission regulations in the trucking industry.
These electric vans will include GM’s BrightDrop Zevo 400 and 600 models. Both models boast a similar driving range of up to 250 miles, with the main difference between the two models being the vehicle length and payload or cargo volume. The Zevo 600 is the larger vehicle with a payload of 1,800 pounds and 412 cubic feet of space.
- Schneider and Frito-Lay pair up for sustainable snacking
Schneider National recently announced that Frito-Lay was its first third-party EV shipper, relying on a Schneider-supplied electric truck, the carrier’s eCascadias model. This collaboration supports Frito-Lay’s goal to achieve net-zero emissions by 2040 and contributes to reducing emissions in the transportation sector.
According to the company, this shift to EV trucks will drastically slash emissions compared to carrying the same shipments on diesel-fueled trucks. Frito-Lay also added 40 fully electric, zero-emissions trucks dedicated to Texas routes last year. Schneider currently operates close to 100 battery-powered trucks.
Photo provided by www.truckingdive.com - Grupo Bimbo Doubles Electric Fleet for Sustainability
Grupo Bimbo is a multinational food company headquartered in Mexico, well known for its breads and pastries among its 100 brands and 13,000 products. The company just announced it is doubling its electric delivery vehicle fleet in Mexico to help reduce carbon emissions by 50% by 2030.
This expansion includes various EV models such as Veskar Stellar brand vans, JACe10x vehicles, and Scania trucks for self-service delivery. Each offers various unique advantages or features in terms of range and safety. The company’s sustainability commitment extends to its entire operation, making it a leader in adopting electric vehicles in Latin America.
- PepsiCo discovers how well EV semis can reach the summit
PepsiCo revealed insights into its Tesla semi-truck fleet’s performance to help shed some light onto the EV fleet revolution. The company’s initial fleet introduction of 21 semis mainly operates on routes of under 100 miles. However, three of the semis are dedicated to longer journeys of 250 to 450 miles, even tackling treacherous routes, including the Donner Pass, at 7057 feet in elevation.
With medium and heavy-duty trucks contributing significantly to fuel consumption and emissions, this successful venture testing the limits of electric semis hints at a bright future to further semi-fleet adoption.
Sustainability pledges, lower energy and maintenance costs and more are all part of switching to EV fleets.
Municipalities also move to adapt EV fleets
Countries, municipalities, and states are also issuing new rules to encourage the adoption of electric vehicles among consumers and corporations alike. Most recently, for example, in October 2023, the state of Colorado’s Air Quality Control Commission adopted a clean car standard, directing that 82% of light-duty trucks and passenger vehicles sold for model year 2032 be electric or zero-emission.
- Madison’s EV fleet intended to set a greener standard
The city of Madison, Wisconsin, nestled on an isthmus between lakes Mendota and Monona, is making substantial moves to electrify its fleet of municipal vehicles. With the recent addition of a gray Ford Mustang Mach E, its 100th electric vehicle, Madison now can boast of having the most EVs among municipalities within the state.
This marks a huge shift from the city’s total of zero EVs just five years ago. Madison plans to expand its EV fleet further, with its goal of becoming the first large government fleet in North America to eliminate gas engines by 2030. This transition aligns with the city’s commitment to reduce air pollution and promote cleaner, more sustainable transportation options.
- Hertz forms partnership with NYC during Climate Week
Madison might find some competition from an east coast rival. During New York City Climate Week in October, Hertz and Mayor Eric Adams announced the “Hertz Electrifies New York City” partnership to accelerate EV adoption.
Hertz plans to introduce up to 1700 rental EVs to its local NYC fleet, which will create more than 100 jobs. Part of the company’s plan includes partnering with four public high schools and donating five EVs to foster EV education and create training opportunities for students. This initiative aligns with the city’s vision of a more sustainable future by promoting cleaner transportation options.
Green commitments abound around the globe for ride sharing
From North America to Australia, companies are making EV fleet commitments toward a greener future. Uber is making substantial efforts to reduce its carbon footprint in Australia by announcing that it is importing 10,000 BYD electric cars. BYD Auto Co., Ltd is headquartered in China.
The ride-sharing company will make these vehicles available to Uber and Uber Eats drivers with favorable terms to make EV ownership more accessible for its contractors. Uber’s transition to electric cars showcases the company’s commitment to sustainability. Globally, Uber is making strides toward electrifying its business model. In London Uber has doubled its EV numbers from 2022 to 2023, a city that hosts 10,000 of the 60,000 EVs registered in its app worldwide.
As this transition to electric fleets gains momentum in various industries, we look forward to more tales and tidbits for segments from logistics to food delivery and municipal services to consumer rentals. Hat’s off to the companies leading the charge.
If you are looking for assistance in moving your fleet to an EV fleet, the EV Charger Specialists at BTC POWER are ready to help. BTC POWER is the country’s leading EV Charger manufacturer with both L2 fleet EV chargers and fast-charging DC EV chargers.
Sources:
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/penske-truck-leasing-adds-xos-123200144.html
https://foodondemand.com/06282023/dominos-expanding-its-ev-delivery-fleet/
https://www.bakingbusiness.com/articles/59790-grupo-bimbo-to-double-electric-vehicle-fleet
https://news.yahoo.com/pepsico-reveals-truth-tesla-semitruck-113000730.html