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FedEx Express, a unit of Memphis-based FedEx Corp is rolling out a fleet of 43 electric trucks in the San Francisco Bay Area , joining 53 other electric vehicles in cities across the U.S. The giant logistics-and-delivery company’s new all-electric (EV) trucks will also be deployed in several Southern California cities, suburban Washington, D.C., New York City, and in some locations in Texas. FedEx is also testing EV trucks from different manufacturers in Chicago where the weather conditions include steamy hot summers and brutally cold icy winters.
The launch of the all-electric vehicles is part of FedEx’s goal of making its entire fleet 20 percent more fuel-efficient by 2020 in compliance with 2010 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) diesel emission standards . The company announced in mid-May that its vehicle fleet is already 16.6 percent more fuel-efficient than it was in 2005.
The trucks deployed in San Francisco are powered by Navistar International’s Navistar E-Star lithium batteries and have a range of about 100 miles. This doesn’t work for longer rural routes, but for urban deliveries, EV trucks can operate well within the range of lithium batteries and can be easily recharged. FedEx is also experimenting with hybrid-electric trucks, biodiesel, and natural gas. The company has also converted 20 percent of its diesel pickup and delivery fleet to cleaner emission models.
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