Two major Vancouver Island companies are planning to electrify their semi-truck fleets in an effort to reduce their environmental footprint.
Quality Foods and Mosaic Forest Company are teaming with EcoWest Driven, a new Parksville company formed specifically to introduce electric semi-trucks to the transportation industry. They will be the first two businesses on Vancouver Island to give Tesla Semi electric transport trucks a try.
B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e starting with three with the intent to fully electrify our fleet,B次元官网网址� said Justin Schley, vice-president of Quality Foods. B次元官网网址淪hort-term is three and then medium-term would be nine or 10 and then the rest.B次元官网网址�
To support the Tesla trucks, EcoWest Driven will establish, later this fall, a charging station that will have 45 commercial chargers and a service garage at its property on Angel Road in Parksville.
The goal in switching to electric trucks, Schley explained, is not about saving money but more about Quality Foods being an environmentally responsible company.
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B次元官网网址淥perationally it would be similar,B次元官网网址� said Schley. B次元官网网址淭he benefit is really the environmental benefit without costing you any more. So itB次元官网网址檚 really a win-win from both angles. We drive about a million kilometres a year. So thatB次元官网网址檚 a million kilometres of emissions saved and carbon off the roads.B次元官网网址�
Schley said the downtime expected on the electric trucks would be minimal as the batteries donB次元官网网址檛 break down and have very few moving parts. The trucks have an advertised travel range of close to 1,000 kilometres, which Schley said will allow them to deliver to all their stores on Vancouver Island without charging.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 perfect for the Island because the trucks go out, they donB次元官网网址檛 travel more than 500 kilometres in a day and and then they get to come home and charge overnight and then it starts all again the next day,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淲e will be able to deliver more timely and be able to deliver similar hauls and the charging hub would be in Parksville. It will work so perfectly here.B次元官网网址�
Schley said thereB次元官网网址檚 no timeline when the electric trucks would be available but added B次元官网网址渋tB次元官网网址檚 coming in the near future. ItB次元官网网址檚 sooner than later.B次元官网网址�
Mosaic Forest Company, based in Nanaimo, will also be the first to try electric logging trucks. Its goal is to play a significant role in addressing climate change and achieving carbon neutrality by 2035.
B次元官网网址淓lectrifying our log hauling fleet is a significant step in that directionB次元官网网址� said Jeff Zweig, president and CEO of Mosaic Forest Management. B次元官网网址淏.C. is a global centre of excellence in forestry, and we are proud to work with our local partner, EcoWest Driven, on this important project.
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