A coalition of cargo-owning shippers has placed an order for 2,500 battery-electric Class 8 trucks, according to a September 22 press release. Coalition members include Ikea, Red Bull, Microsoft and PepsiCo.
The order runs through the Zero-Emission Truck Shipper-Carrier Alliance Leading Electrification, known as ZET SCALE, which is jointly operated by Catalyst Mobility and the Smart Freight Centre. Tesla has been selected as the primary original equipment manufacturer for the initial order, with Volvo, Kenworth and RIDE available as secondary manufacturers for custom needs.
Catalyst Mobility President and CEO Michael Berube said in the release that the program aggregates shipper demand so manufacturers can price trucks at scale. Purchase price has been one of the main barriers for fleets considering heavy-duty battery-electric equipment.
ZET Financial, a finance company that works with corporate fleets and carriers, is purchasing the 2,500 trucks. Shippers can lease the trucks through the ZET Financial lease program and then buy freight services from participating fleets that operate them, according to Cristiano Facanha, head of road freight electrification for North America at Smart Freight Centre.
The program concentrates deployments in high-density freight hubs to raise utilization of both the trucks and their charging infrastructure. The first round of trucks is slated for Los Angeles, Seattle, Chicago, New York City and several Texas markets.
ZET SCALE aims to grow the model to 10,000 or more electric trucks and is recruiting additional shippers and carrier partners. Earlier this month, Google announced a separate partnership with electric truck startup Nevoya and the Center for Green Market Activation to place 25 more electric trucks on the Dallas to Houston freight corridor.
Source: Trucking Dive - https://www.truckingdive.com/news/shippers-coalition-orders-2500-class-8-electric-trucks/831198/