Orange EV says that its deployed fleet of heavy-duty electric trucks has surpassed 50,000 “key on” hours and 110,000 miles. Looking ahead, the company expects to exceed 60,000 hours by mid-June.
According to Orange EV, these milestones are particularly noteworthy because terminal trucks operate at lower speeds of typically less than 25 miles per hour within the yards of railroad intermodal facilities, distribution centers, manufacturing plants, waste transfer stations, warehouses and a range of other logistics hubs for container/trailer handling.
The company asserts that moderate-use sites can save more than $30,000 per truck annually in fuel, maintenance and emission control-related costs; heavier-use sites can save up to $60,000 per truck per year. Add the harder-to-quantify costs and savings can increase further.
Moreover, the company reports that 75% of fleets have re-ordered within six months of getting their first Orange EV trucks, and many are already reference customers.
Because total cost of ownership is often less than that of a diesel truck, fleets can deploy Orange EV’s electric trucks without incentives using existing capital and expense budgets. With discounts and grants, however, fleets can renew fleet assets and minimize annual operating costs at greatly reduced capital investment. Current incentive programs can save fleets up to 85% per truck in purchase price, the company says.
Volkswagen Mitigation Trust Fund grants are expected to be announced by year-end, which could pay up to 75% of project costs in every state.