NFI, a provider of supply chain solutions, has reached a sustainability milestone by completing several key electrification initiatives.
Through the Volvo LIGHTS project, NFI has introduced Volvo VNR Electric Class 8 trucks into its transportation fleet, as well as electrified its yard trucks and forklifts at its warehouse facility in Chino, Calif. NFI has also installed onsite charging infrastructure for both its growing fleet of electric vehicles (EVs) and employees’ personal vehicles, paired with solar panels to capture renewable electricity and onsite energy storage to bolster resiliency. Combined, these initiatives help lay the groundwork for NFI’s plans to integrate EVs into its Chino drayage operations – a fleet that will total more than 65 heavy-duty EVs.
“By critically evaluating the viability of electric trucks for their real-world, commercial operations, NFI is using the lessons learned through the Volvo LIGHTS project as a blueprint for fleet electrification,” says Peter Voorhoeve, president of Volvo Trucks North America. “We are proud to partner with NFI as they provide fleets industry-wide with the knowledge needed to commercially scale zero-emission heavy-duty vehicles.”
The Volvo LIGHTS project is a collaboration between Volvo Trucks, the South Coast Air Quality Management District and 13 other organizations to develop a comprehensive ecosystem to successfully introduce battery-electric trucks and equipment into the market at scale.
As a partner in the Volvo LIGHTS project, NFI began piloting two Volvo VNR Electric trucks in September 2020. The Volvo VNR Electric trucks join NFI’s fleet of more than 4,500 heavy-duty tractors. Based out of their Chino distribution campus, the Volvo VNR Electric trucks travel 100-mile regional distribution routes. NFI will receive an additional two Volvo VNR Electric trucks in 2021.
To install and maintain the charging infrastructure needed to support the electric trucks and equipment, NFI worked closely with Volvo Trucks, Southern California Edison, Greenlots, ABB, Core States and the City of Chino in order to upgrade the facility’s power supply and install two 150 kW chargers. The chargers will utilize Greenlots’ SKY software to effectively balance the electricity demand from the trucks, equipment, existing facilities and the electricity grid.
To learn more about the Volvo LIGHTS project, click here.
