Phoenix Motorcars, a manufacturer of medium-duty all-electric buses and trucks, has delivered its first ZEUS 500 electric cargo truck to C&V Contractors, a family-owned contracting business based out of Sacramento, Calif.
Funded through the Sacramento Emergency Clean Air & Transportation Grant Program (SECAT), the zero-emission box truck deployment highlights the commitment among fleets in California to choose cleaner, sustainable transportation options. C&V Contractors, which specializes in custom home building, remodels, and maintenance and repairs, has been in business and servicing the Sacramento area since 1989.
Built on the popular Ford E-450 chassis with a Rockport Commercial Trucks body, the zero-emission box truck is equipped with custom shelving to suit the specific needs of the customer. The truck is equipped with a 105 kWh battery pack that offers a 110-mile range and can be charged up in about three hours with a 50 kW Level III charger.
“C&V Contractors was the first zero-emission truck replacement project approved by the Sac Metro Air District under the new SECAT guidelines. We are proud to help a local small business use the cleanest vehicle possible in our community,” says Kristian Damkier, associate air quality engineer at Sac Metro Air District.
The guidelines provide funding for vehicles with advanced technology and this included the line of Phoenix Motorcars all electric zero-emission vehicles. C&V’s brand new ZEUS 500 truck will reduce maintenance costs by 75% and fuel costs by 80%.
“Collaborating with C&V Contractors has been exciting for us and the deployment is testimony to how fleets, irrespective of size, are recognizing the environmental and cost benefits of going electric,” says Jose Paul Plackal, vice president of business development at Phoenix Motorcars.
“Along with our all-electric shuttle buses our range of electric trucks including flatbeds, utility trucks, box trucks and service trucks are proving to be very popular amongst progressive fleets across the nation,” he adds.
Photo: C&V Contractors’ ZEUS 500