Dive Brief:
- US Foods has deployed the first five of its expected 30 electric semi-trucks at its La Mirada, California, distribution center, a company spokesperson said Tuesday in an email to Transport Dive.
- The food distributor is working with NextEra to build charging infrastructure at its La Mirada distribution center, which will be powered through Southern California Edison’s Charge Ready Transport Program.
- The company expects to receive the remainder of its order this year. All 30 of its EVs will be based in La Mirada and put into service in 2023, the spokesperson said.
Dive Insight:
Incorporating EVs into its fleet is part of a company effort announced in 2022 to cut greenhouse gas emissions 32.5% by 2032.
The battery-electric Class 8 Freightliner eCascadia single eAxle trucks will contribute to a reduction in fine particulate matter and oxides of nitrogen emissions throughout Southern California, according to a press release. With an expected range of 230 miles, the company said the vehicles are ideal for regional delivery needs “while producing zero tailpipe emissions.”
US Foods is one of several companies that have purchased Freightliner eCascadias for fleet use. Retailers Meijer and Walmart, food distributor Sysco and trucking firm Schneider are among the companies using the Freightliner EV semis, which debuted in May 2022.
In addition to its EVs, US Foods has pledged to reduce emissions through other programs, such as optimizing routes to reduce miles driven, deploying new vehicle technology, and investing in alternative fuels such as compressed natural gas, renewable natural gas and renewable diesel fuel.
The food distributor has been working to deploy EVs into its fleet since at least 2021, when the company won a $1.8 million grant to build out the infrastructure of its La Mirada facility, according to its 2021 Corporate Sustainability Report.
The deployment of 30 electric trucks by the end of 2023 "would be among the largest single-site deployments of electric trucks across the food distribution industry," the company said in the report.
