Uber Freight is partnering with WattEV and reusable pallet provider CHEP to deploy electric trucks in Southern California. WattEV will provide charging infrastructure as well as vehicles from its trucks-as-a-service model, and CHEP will be the pilot’s first shipper.
Via the Uber Freight platform, CHEP will be able to book, schedule, and complete loads, track status and load KPIs, and manage paperwork all in one place, according to an Uber Freight press release.
“Electric trucks are finally here, and we’re proud to partner with WattEV to offer Uber Freight shippers even more ways to move freight more sustainably,” said Uber Freight Head of Sustainability Illina Frankiv. “Electric trucks will have a profound impact on logistics, and we’re excited to build the technology platform to enable their seamless integration into supply chains.”
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According to Uber Freight, in addition to reducing emissions and engine noise and eliminating exhaust, widespread adoption of electric trucks will decrease the reliance on non-renewable fuels and reduce maintenance costs.
“Our business relies on heavy-duty road transport, which is one of the biggest challenges to transition our value chain to net-zero emissions by 2040, CHEP’s long-term decarbonization goal,” said Marisa Sánchez Urrea, director of global supply chain decarbonization at Brambles, CHEP’s parent company. “This first electric truck pilot in the U.S., in partnership with Uber Freight and WattEV, is a step in the right direction as we move towards a net positive impact. We are proud to partner with our carriers and our customers as we together scale up electrification opportunities and deliver on our shared decarbonization goals.”
WattEV CEO Salim Youssefzadeh said, “We are proud to be a zero-emission transport solution of choice for Uber Freight and their customers. Combining our transport business and our truck-as-a-service model, we are able to use Uber Freight’s digital platform to serve the shippers and their customers with our zero-emission truck routes and services.”
