American operator Griley Air Freight is so happy with its electric Volvos, that last year it took delivery of another VNR Electric.
Unlike the first truck, which only had four batteries and a 150-mile (240km) range, this one had two additional batteries on the external cab wall, increasing the range considerably.
While this second truck was purchased outright, Griley Air Freight still chose to partner with Zeem Solutions for charging.
“They offer parking and charging at their location just down the street,” CEO Katie Griley says. “It’s been seamless. The drivers drop them off, and go home in their personal cars, which have been left there during the day. Zeem then charges the trucks overnight, and takes care of everything.”
While one is leased and the other purchased outright, both trucks have been part-funded by grants. Katy describes the process of applying for funding as ‘tough’, but believes it needs to be that way to ensure that the money goes to deserving companies.
“If those grants weren’t in place, this would never have happened,” admits Tom Griley, who is shocked to learn how small grants are elsewhere in the world, in comparison.
The trucks, which are coupled to tandem-axle semi-trailers, wrapped in customers’ liveries, do between two and four runs to the airport per day. They pick up international customs freight orders, and deliver them to customers or to the Griley Air Freight warehouse.
Loaded to 40,000lb (18 tonnes) the older truck does about 100 miles (160km) per day, whereas the six-battery-pack VNR Electric can manage 200 miles (320km) or more, at full payload, allowing it to be double-shifted.
The electric trucks have been well received by the public. Katie explains that as part of the infrastructure grant subsidy requirements, Griley Air Freight was required to seek support from the local community.
“People appreciated what we were trying to do, and we received a lot of letters of support,” she says.
They weren’t the only ones to appreciate the initiative, the trucks receiving full support from customers too. Consequently, Griley Air Freight has been able to pass on the increased costs associated with running electric trucks by charging customers a higher freight rate.
“Of course, we might not be lucky enough to be able to do that in the future,” admits Katie, referring to a time when rivals also operate electric trucks. “But for now, we have something to offer that our competitors don’t, and we have even gained two new clients as a direct result.”
When we visited Griley Air Freight earlier this year, news had just reached the team that Korean Airlines is to start giving loading/unloading priority to zero-tailpipe-emission trucks. With waits of two to four hours common place at LAX, this was welcome news indeed.
“This is something we weren’t expecting, and it could save us $100 per trip to the airport,” reckons Tom. “And if more airlines follow suit, then this will be a big cost-saving for us,” adds Katie.
Griley Air Freight will ramp up its electric fleet in the coming years, in line with the legislation. According to the US’s Advanced Clean Truck (ACT) rule, 10 per cent of its fleet will need to be electric by 2027. With this in mind, a third battery-powered truck will be added to the fleet later this year, with more to follow.
Although happy with its partnership with Zeem, as the fleet expands so it will take the charging in-house. It has had infrastructure grant money approved, and will install six dual-port chargers at its depot in the next couple of years.
“We have had to learn a lot very quickly, but we are eager to be a part of the sustainability movement,” concludes Katie. “And we plan to keep on trucking.”
