As part of its plan to reduce greenhouse emissions, Schneider, a provider of transportation, intermodal and logistics services, is deploying battery-electric trucks (BEV).
Beginning in 2022, Schneider will add 50 Freightliner eCascadias – the truck manufacturer’s first commercial Class 8 battery-electric truck – to its Southern California intermodal operations.
Funding for the 50 BEVs comes in part from the Joint Electric Truck Scaling Initiative, which is sponsored by the South Coast Air Quality Management District, California Air Resources Board and the California Energy Commission. The initiative is working to significantly increase the number of zero-emission heavy-duty trucks available for goods movement while achieving necessary emission reductions.
“Schneider’s sustainability initiatives got a big boost when we were selected to participate in the state of California’s Joint Electric Truck Scaling Initiative,” says Mark Rourke, Schneider’s president and CEO. “The scaling of zero-emission vehicles is a key component of our goal to reduce carbon emissions by 7.5 percent per mile by 2025 and by 60 percent per mile by 2035.”
Since BEVs run on all battery power, CO2 emission production is zero no matter the distance, making a significant cut to the carrier’s carbon footprint. Schneider is already familiar with electric vehicle technology, having piloted an eCascadia for six months through Freightliner’s Customer Experience fleet.
“It’s the close collaboration and co-creation with our customers like Schneider that allows us to bring the best products to market,” adds Steve Mignardi, Daimler Trucks North America’s vice president of on-highway market development. “After intensive testing we are now at the point of offering state-of-the-art electric trucks together with smart infrastructure solutions for our customers to electrify their fleets efficiently depending on market and application.”