UPS will work with partner Workhorse, a battery-electric transportation technology company, to develop and deploy a fleet of 50 custom-built, plug-in electric delivery trucks with zero emissions. The goal is to make trucks that cost as much to buy as do traditional fuel-based delivery vehicles – even without taking into account subsidies. The Workhorse designed-vehicles will be all-electric and are designed to run on a single charge throughout a normal delivery day and then charge back up overnight. Workhorse says they’ll have a 100-mile range, which is a good fit for in-city routes, and the trucks will first enter testing in urban areas in various parts of the U.S., including Atlanta, Dallas and L.A. The test will lead to fine-tuning, which will lead to a larger fleet deployment targeting 2019. UPS’s goal with this is to help meet its corporate renewable energy and carbon footprint goals, as well as to hopefully reap benefits in terms of vehicle operation efficiency and the cost of maintenance (which should be far less using all-electric trucks).
UPS is partnering with Workhorse on the development of a fleet of 50 electric vehicles (EV) for an initial trial in US urban areas including Atlanta, Dallas and Los Angeles. The delivery trucks will have a 100-mile range, suitable for a typical delivery day, and will be charged overnight. A larger fleet will be developed after the trial and will form part of UPS' corporate renewable energy and carbon footprint goal, as well as having a potentially positive effect on vehicle efficiency and maintenance costs. "The goal here is to make sure that we can deliver our customers clean air at low cost," said David Smith, president of UPS Global Logistics, which has been working closely with Workhorse.