United Natural Foods, Inc. revealed today two battery-electric semi-trucks and five regenerative electric refrigerated trailer systems which will help reduce the company’s carbon footprint and usher in a zero-emission future, according to the company.
The distributor is deploying the trucks and trailers to the following California markets in advance of the holiday season: Sacramento and Gilroy.
UNFI worked with Penske Truck Leasing to secure two, class-8 electric trucks, which include the Freightliner eCascadia, and the Volvo VNR Electric models. Both vehicles are equipped for safety and driver comfort and include easy charging, and ample battery range to meet the distributor's typical freight hauling and delivery needs, according to UNFI.
The trucks are fitted with refrigerated trailers cooled by Carrier’s Vector eCool transport refrigeration unit. The all-electric Vector eCool uses power generated by ConMet eMobility’s nMotion TR 160-45, an in-wheel electric motor application that repurposes energy captured during coasting and braking.
“The introduction of these efficient electric trucks and refrigerated trailers is a huge step forward, not only toward lowering our delivery costs-per-mile and achieving our own clean transportation goals but also in helping UNFI achieve California’s ambitious goals on the adoption of zero-emission vehicles,” said Nick Selders, VP of transportation at UNFI, in a statement. “Implementing this zero-emission delivery solution will enable us [to] become more cost-efficient and prevent hundreds of metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions from entering the atmosphere per year.”
The technology will reduce fleet fuel life cycle greenhouse gas emissions and harmful pollutants while delivering more efficiently and cost-effectively to customers, according to UNFI.
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