\u201cA lot has changed over the last five years,\u201d said Patrick Browne, director of global sustainability at UPS, referring specifically to the medium-duty sector. \u201cBattery pricing is down, and we’re starting to get very close to cost parity with electric vehicles (EVs) versus a gasoline or diesel counterpart.\u201d<\/p>\n
That excitement may best be described in orders. UPS expects to add 10,000 electric vans from the U.K.-based Arrival and 1,000 from Cincinnati-based Workhorse, which has the added complexity of drone delivery.<\/p>\n
The panel also consisted of Aravind Kailas, the Advanced Technology Policy Director at Volvo Group, and Henrik Holland, COO at Greenlots, a Shell Energies company that provides EV charging solutions. They answered a wide range of questions on getting started, from infrastructure and incentives to managing expectations and best regions to start. The event was hosted by the nonprofit Driving Goodness Amplified.<\/p>\n
It is important to remember is that everyone\u2019s guidebook is going to look different, with Browne reiterating that there is no \u201csilver bullet.\u201d With that in mind, here\u2019s a sampling of insights that should provide sufficient ammo to help any fleet hit its first electric vehicle targets.<\/p>\n
Mapping out a strategy<\/h3>\n
\u201cWhat most people don’t know is that UPS has been testing alternative fuel vehicles since 1930, when we first started getting electric vehicles in our fleet,\u201d Browne relayed. That\u2019s more than 90 years of experience in some form or another of EVs, and the logistics company is already phasing out its first fleet of modern medium-duty electric box trucks.<\/p>\n
UPS is a clear sustainability leader and plans on cutting its absolute greenhouse gas emissions by 12% across its global ground operations by 2025, using 2015 as the baseline. One out of every four vehicles added to the fleet must use alternative power, from battery-electric to compressed natural gas, with the company’s Rolling Laboratory fleet comprising 10,300 vehicles; about 1,000 are fully electric or hybrids. UPS has also spent more than $1 billion in the last decade on developing these fuels, technologies and infrastructure to sustain them. The medium-duty trucks may drive as few as 10 miles to as many as 200 miles in a day.<\/p>\n
UPS’ electric efforts date back to 1930.<\/span>Photo: UPS<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n UPS has ordered 10,000 electric vans from Arrival.<\/span>Photo: UPS<\/span><\/span>However, the most simple way the delivery giant manages emissions is by whittling route length wherever possible.<\/p>\n \u201cElectric vehicles are great, but at the end of the day, the greenest mile is the mile we never drive at all,\u201d Browne said. \u201cSo we’re always at that mindset of figuring out how do we eliminate miles first, and then think about switching over to all different types of alternatives.\u201d<\/p>\n One way UPS does this for the last-mile segment is through its Access Point network<\/a>, where customers can pick up parcels from consolidated pickup areas, such as a drug store chain or UPS Store, in their neighborhood as opposed to getting packages dropped off on their doorstep.<\/p>\n![\"UPS'](\"https:\/\/base.imgix.net\/files\/base\/ebm\/fleetowner\/image\/2020\/09\/ups_electric_truck__antique.5f5a3e6e005cf.png?auto=format&fit=max&w=1440\")
<\/span><\/p>\n![\"UPS](\"https:\/\/base.imgix.net\/files\/base\/ebm\/fleetowner\/image\/2020\/09\/arrival_ups_van.5f5a3df0149e8.png?auto=format&fit=max&w=1440\")
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