FedEx has ordered 150 electric trucks to add to its pickup and delivery fleet in the United States in an effort to reduce carbon emissions, specialty vehicle manufacturer The Shyft Group (NASDAQ: SHYF) announced Thursday.
FedEx plans to add the Blue Arc EV Trucks to its fleet after previously testing the vehicle on last-mile delivery routes in Memphis, Tennessee, where the parcel freight company is headquartered. The trucks operated extended routes up to 10 hours in challenging conditions, including temperatures ranging from 95 to 105 degrees, Shyft said in an announcement.
“As we work towards the phased electrification of our entire global pickup and delivery fleet by 2040, FedEx is eager to incorporate new and efficient electric vehicle models that meet the demands of our diverse network,” Pat Donlon, Fedex’s vice president of global vehicles, said in the announcement. “We look forward to bringing the Blue Arc into our growing portfolio of electric vehicles in service around the world.”
The Blue Arc truck is capable of regenerating 20-30 kW of power through its braking system, Shyft said.
The new trucks are part of FedEx’s goal of building an all-electric parcel pickup and delivery fleet by 2040. The company currently has more than 200,000 electric trucks in its fleet. The company’s plan includes:
- Half of parcel pickup and delivery vehicle purchases to be electric by 2025.
- All parcel pickup and delivery vehicle purchases to be electric by 2030.
- Entire parcel pickup and delivery fleet to be converted to electric by 2040.
The Biden administration announced $1.5 billion to fuel an ambitious plan in April — dubbed the National Zero-Emission Freight Strategy — to replace diesel-powered school buses, trash trucks and delivery trucks with zero-emission vehicles. Lawmakers have pushed back on the plan due to barriers in adopting electric fleets.
President and CEO of the Shyft Group John Dunn said the company’s partnership with Fedex had been “instrumental in refining our strategy for meeting commercial-grade EV fleet needs.”
“Customer satisfaction is core to our operations and we look forward to seeing these vehicles on the road for FedEx, reflecting our mutual commitment to innovation and sustainability,” he said.
