Motiv Power Systems, a sustainable technology company that delivers electric vehicle (EV) solutions for medium-duty trucks and buses, has renewed its partnership with Bimbo Bakeries USA (BBU), one of the largest bakeries in the U.S.
This follows a successful 12-month pilot of five Motiv-powered electric trucks that were utilized on real-world delivery routes. BBU and Motiv are now strengthening their partnership, with 23 additional trucks currently in production and another 100 planned for 2021 deployments, all powered by Motiv’s EPIC F-59 chassis. BBU will deploy these additional vehicles across California, New York and Pennsylvania.
“We are pleased with the 100% uptime of our pilot vehicles and look forward to growing this partnership into 2021 with additional deployments,” says Eric McCann, technical fleet manager for BBU. “Sustainability is built into our company’s purpose and incorporating these vehicles into our fleet is an important step toward reducing our dependence on fossil fuels. With Motiv’s help, we’re confident that we will meet our goals.”
BBU is mindful of its environmental footprint and aims to set a positive example among its peers, associates, customers and consumers. The company has implemented programs throughout the country to reduce water, power and energy usage, decrease air emissions and utilize an environmentally responsible waste management system.
Delivery vans are a popular choice for large parcel and delivery fleets, linen and uniform companies, and bakery trucks due to the ample cargo space which is easily accessible while drivers make multiple stops. The last-mile operations and return-to-depot nature make them a great candidate for electrification.
As fleets move to electric, operators need a way to seamlessly transition their internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles to EVs without compromising functionality and reliability. Motiv’s EPIC chassis utilizes a proprietary AdaptEV software platform, which provides optimized vehicle performance and efficiency. The EPIC chassis are Ford eQVM approved and retain the Ford OEM chassis warranty. By utilizing an OEM chassis, truck and bus builders can install the same bodies on EPIC chassis that fleet managers and drivers are using today in their gasoline or diesel vehicles, enabling an even easier pathway to electrification.