While state and federal agencies continue to evolve increasingly stringent zero-emissions regulations, Schneider plans to achieve its sustainability own goals by adding nearly 100 battery electric class 8 vehicles to its West Coast operations.
“The integration of nearly 100 zero emission vehicles is an important milestone for Schneider as we are moving beyond the battery electric truck testing phase to running an operation at scale,” Schneider President and CEO Mark Rourke reportedly said. “In combination with rail movement, we can offer our intermodal customers meaningful emissions reduction value by utilizing BEV dray trucks.”
Schneider’s goals involve reducing its carbon emissions footprint by 7.5 percent by 2025 and upwards of 60 percent by 2035. The Green Bay-based truckload and logistics operation has already reduced its per-mile emissions by 5 percent, according to reports. Those milestones come at a time when California has enacted the country’s most ambitious emissions regulations, and other states are expected to follow suit.
The organization’s first Freightliner eCascadia recently rolled off the Daimler Truck North America assembly line in Portland, Oregon. Schneider ordered 62 eCascadias to use in its California operations, effectively getting ahead of the state’s truck emissions regulations.
The freight transportation outfit has doubled down by ordering an additional 30 rigs from Daimler. All told, Schneider could have 92 zero-emission tractors by the end of 2023. The move would hand the carrier one of the largest battery electric fleets in North America.
“As the leading heavy-duty truck manufacturer, we are fully committed to reduce emissions with our vehicles and to move the commercial transportation industry into a more sustainable future,” Daimler Truck North America senior vice president of sales and marketing David Carson reportedly said. “We are proud to share the same vision with Schneider and to partner closely with them on integrating eCascadias into their fleet.”
The Freightliner eCascadia has the single-charge capacity to travel upwards of 230 miles with a full load. The multiple-battery truck then requires 90 minutes to attain an 80 percent recharge. Its battery capacity and range make it a suitable option for local and short regional runs. The conventional thinking is that eCascadias will be utilized in dock-to-warehouse applications.
Schneider’s decision to build out its battery electric ranks comes on the heels of the first Tesla Semi delivery. The Tesla battery electric has successfully pulled an 80,000-pound load 500 miles on a single charge. Pepsi recently took delivery after the iconic Tesla CEO Elon Musk took a victory lap, calling it a “badass” rig. Rival Tesla also indicated its electric semi achieves less-than-2 kWh-per-mile efficiency. That equates to trucking operations saving approximately $70,000 in annual diesel fuel savings costs.
Sources: schneider.com, electrek.co, businesswire.com
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