If you are a commercial fleet decision maker considering going electric, one of the best things you can do is learn about the experience of successfully electrified aircraft.
Quality Custom Distribution, a division of Golden State Foods, has been using EVs in its operations for the past few years. FleetOwner's Jade Brasher spoke with Shane Blanchette, Group VP of Operations at QCD, about the company's electrification journey.
QCD, which provides distribution services throughout the US, currently operates 40 Volvo VNR Class 8 electric trucks and has 4 more on order. The EVs are split between two QCD facilities in California, La Puente and Fontana.
The company began its electrification strategy in 2021 with one Volvo VNL, acquired through Volvo's Low Impact Green Heavy Transport Solutions (LIGHTS) project, a pilot program designed to gather data on EV fleet deployment. After only two weeks of operating the VNR Electric, QCD ordered 14 more with the help of a grant from the Mobile Source Air Pollution Reduction Committee's Inland Port Review Program. A year later, QCD decided to order another 30 VNR Electric trucks.
“The $20 million electrification project includes 16 chargers and an industry-first renewable energy microgrid to power a fleet of electric batteries and a distribution center in Los Angeles,” Blanchette said.
Several OEMs currently offer Class 8 electric truck models, but QCD is sticking with Volvo.
“As a Volvo Trucks customer for over 13 years, we knew we could expect the same level of safety, comfort, and performance from the VNR Electric as we've always had with the regular VNR,” said Mike Douglas, QCD's former Senior Director of QCD. Strategic Procurement, mentioned when QCD launched the first EV.
Installing charging infrastructure is often one of the biggest challenges for electric aircraft, and QCD is no exception. The company currently relies on a temporary charging solution—50 kW DC fast chargers leased from Volvo Financial Services. The company's permanent charging solution, which includes a microgrid, is expected to go live later this year, after two years of work.
Blanchette told FleetOwner that the timeline could have been “cut in half, if it had been for approvals and lead times. [had been] agreeable. The biggest hurdles in building the infrastructure have been the purchase of equipment and permit times, as well as aligning the land owners, as our land is leased.”
The company uses two different charging infrastructure partners at its two facilities. “For our La Puente project, we partnered with InCharge and Scale Microgrids, while the Fontana project was coordinated by Volvo and involved Shell Recharge.”
Both InCharge and Shell Recharge helped facilitate “identification of grants, permits, equipment procurement, data analysis, infrastructure design and construction.”
QCD initially decided to electrify for sustainability reasons, but found another benefit: drivers love the new trucks. Electric vehicles have “made life easier for drivers,” said Blanchette, “which has also contributed to higher maintenance, lower profits, and most importantly, improved safety.”
QCD's fleet uses regional delivery routes, averaging less than 100 miles per route. Class 8 electric trucks are well suited for this duty cycle. “The new generation of EVs in our fleet goes up to 275 kilometers,” said Blanchette. “It was good for QCD because when the team comes back, they still have 40 to 50% of their billing.”
After two years, QCD found that the maintenance cost of its Class 8 EVs was almost half that of its diesel trucks. “If we compare the cost of maintenance and repair compared to the same year and the volume of work of diesel units, we see that EVs cost much less,” said Blanchette.
Source: FleetOwner