CN, a Montreal, Quebec-based transportation and logistics company, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with The Lion Electric Co. for the conception, design and manufacturing of eight tandem axle, Class 8 electric trucks.
The agreement is part of CN’s larger sustainable strategy to reduce emissions. The trucks will be deployed in cities across the CN network, such as Vancouver, as well as the greater Toronto, Montreal and Hamilton areas in Canada. They will be tested for tasks such as urban delivery, container shuttle service, port operations and cross-town service. The trucks are custom-built/engineered in Quebec to withstand North American weather and road conditions.
“This project is an example of CN’s commitment to sustainable business practices,” comments Mark Lerner, vice president of marketing and business development at CN. “By using these zero-emission trucks in different settings, we want to identify where these trucks can make the most impact on how we serve our customers and reduce our emissions. Over the last 25 years, CN has already reduced greenhouse-gas emissions from its locomotives by 40 percent, and we are constantly looking for innovative ways to continue down that path.”
“We are very pleased to support CN in its commitment to sustainable mobility,” adds Partick Gervais, vice president of marketing and communications at The Lion Electric Co. “By purchasing zero-emission trucks from Lion, CN is also promoting local innovation and jobs. Lion Electric will have 200 employees by the end of 2019 and more than 1,000 within the next 10 years, thanks to agreements like this one.”
The delivery of the trucks is expected in summer 2020. The terms of the MOU have not been disclosed.
