Leading truck lessor Fleet Advantage, which also provides Class 8 fleet data analytics and life-cycle cost management, announced that it will place orders for 200 Class 8 electric tractors for delivery next year.
The 200 heavy EVs will add to around 14,000 tractors under management by Fleet Advantage, which the company said in a release “is committed to assisting its customers’ transition to alternative energies toward a zero-emissions goal using off-balance-sheet lease financing with little or no residual risk.”
This purchase will be the Fort Lauderdale, Florida-based company’s first major acquisition of alternative-energy trucks, the Oct. 26 release said.
See also: Fleet Advantage reveals latest benchmark survey results
This initial purchase of 200 Class 8 EVs will be placed in service based on duty cycles and supply chain locations with reduced radius operations, said Fleet Advantage, which has identified an even greater volume of EV equipment that will complement their customers’ supply chain, reducing exhaust emissions and operating costs while enhancing corporate ESG goals. More Fleet Advantage EV purchases are likely to come.
The release did not specify which OEMs’ Class 8 EVs will be part of the first Fleet Advantage purchase, but Volvo, Kenworth, and Freightliner all have heavy regional-range electric tractors already on the market.
“With the advancement of EV technology and growing interest in alternative fuel applications, we are excited to be in position to deliver new EV trucks for our customers,” said Brian Antonellis, CTP, senior VP of fleet operations for Fleet Advantage.
“Fleet Advantage has already established its environmental leadership with a rich history of transportation asset management and flexible financing solutions that significantly reduce operating costs along with up to a 28% baseline reduction in CO2 emissions and carbon footprint.”
The company published a white paper earlier this year, “Building a Bridge to Alternative Energies,” and with the first heavy EV purchase is following through with “actions not words” in its “commitment to alternative fuels and increased driver safety and comfort,” the release said.
“New EV technology provides a significant reduction to in-cab noise pollution and vibration, thereby enhancing the driver environment,” the release stated.
Fleet Advantage’s customer surveys combined with data analytics are behind a five -year plan to significantly grow the company’s EV fleet, working with America’s top corporate fleets, including five of the top 10 private fleets in the nation, though the fleets also weren’t specified in the company's Oct. 26 release.
