Quality Custom Distribution (QCD), a national food service logistics supplier, says it will deploy 14 Volvo VNR Electric models in its Southern California last-mile delivery routes over the next two years.
The trucks, manufactured at Volvo Trucks’ New River Valley plant in Virginia, represent the largest single purchasing commitment of Volvo VNR Electric trucks to date. Volvo Trucks will begin delivering the Class 8 battery-electric trucks to QCD this fall to operate out of its distribution center in Fontana, Calif.
“Earlier this month, we delivered QCD’s first VNR Electric to be used in its distribution and logistics services,” says Peter Voorhoeve, president of Volvo Trucks North America. “With this exceptional commitment to deploy an additional 14 Volvo VNR Electric trucks, we are pleased that QCD has chosen to continue its longtime partnership with our organization to achieve its sustainable freight transportation goals.”
The 14 leased Volvo VNR Electric trucks and supporting charging equipment are assisted with funding by a $3.9 million grant awarded to Volvo Financial Services (VFS) from the Mobile Source Air Pollution Reduction Review Committee’s (MSRC) Inland Port Program. Combined with MSRC grant funds, the VFS leases provided through the program will reduce QCD’s total cost of operating the electric vehicles, making the trucks cost-competitive with existing diesel technology. The MSRC is a committee of California’s largest transportation and clean air agencies and stakeholders.
Volvo Trucks North America is among the first major truck manufacturers in the U.S. to commercialize and sell battery-electric Class 8 trucks. The company began taking customer orders for its VNR Electric model last December and has multiple customer deliveries scheduled throughout the year. With this purchase from QCD, Volvo Trucks now has orders for more than 100 VNR Electric models scheduled to be delivered and deployed in fleet operations throughout California over the next two years.
Along with project partners Volvo Trucks North America, VFS and QCD, electric vehicle charging infrastructure provider Greenlots will design and install eight high-power charging stations at QCD’s Fontana distribution center to power the electric trucks. Learnings from the deployment of the first VNR Electric model and charging infrastructure will provide QCD the valuable information needed to expand its fleet of zero-emission trucks.
