Performance Team has deployed its first Class 8 battery-electric trucks from Volvo Trucks North America in Southern California in response to customer demand for sustainable short-haul warehouse and distribution center operations.
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The Volvo VNR Electric trucks are designed to handle local and regional distribution with a range of up to 275 miles on a single charge.
Performance Team expects to deploy 126 Volvo Electric trucks in North America by Q3 2023.
By the end of October 2022, 30 Volvo VNR Electric trucks will be in operation, including 16 in Performance Team’s Santa Fe Springs, California distribution center and 14 in Performance Team’s Commerce, California distribution center.
The rest of the 126 Volvo Trucks VNR Electric order will be filled by Q3 2023, and future deployment locations will be determined by customer demand and location needs.
“Customers are looking for more tangible, sustainable options in their supply chain to satisfy their long-term climate change goals and their immediate business needs in short-haul trucking. So, we’re working closely with our partners at Volvo Trucks North America and TEC Equipment on electromobility solutions to define a new supply chain eco-chapter in our operations,†said Jason Walker, Executive Vice President of Operations for Performance Team.
Performance Team worked closely with the sales team at TEC Equipment - Fontana, a Volvo Trucks’ Certified EV Dealership, and Volvo Trucks North America to identify the ideal Volvo VNR Electric configurations needed to run their daily freight routes.
In addition, the partners leveraged Volvo Trucks’ Electric Performance Generator (EPG) tool, which simulated Performance Team’s real-world routes to determine which ones were best suited for the Volvo VNR Electric trucks, taking into consideration environmental factors such as speed, payload, terrain, and ambient temperature.
The EPG also considers specific route details, including traffic patterns, to determine if an opportunity charge would be required.
“Introducing any new technology into your fleet operations can come with a learning curve, which we are definitely seeing as customers make the switch from diesel to battery-electric trucks. It is inspiring to see our very first Volvo Trucks Certified EV Dealer working side-by-side with the largest Volvo VNR Electric fleet in the world, both of which are fully committed to facilitating the widespread adoption of zero-tailpipe emission transportation solutions,†said Jared Ruiz, acting head of electromobility sales for North America, at Volvo Trucks North America.
“TEC Equipment and Performance Team are taking a trailblazing role in demonstrating how a dealership and customer can collaborate to maximize the benefits of battery-electric trucks when they are deployed into fleet operations at scale.†■