Green Bay, WI – Schneider National, Inc. (NYSE: SNDR), a leading provider of transportation, intermodal, and logistics services, proudly announced that its battery electric vehicle (BEV) fleet has successfully surpassed the remarkable milestone of covering over 1 million zero-emission miles while transporting customer freight.
Operating one of North America’s largest BEV fleets from its Southern California Intermodal Operations Center, Schneider boasts nearly 100 Freightliner eCascadias and a sprawling charging depot, measuring about half the size of a football field.
The carrier’s foray into electric transportation began in January, and since then, the fleet has expanded to a total of 94 electric vehicles, comprising 92 battery electric trucks and two electric yard spotters. Notably, the eCascadias have contributed to avoiding approximately 3.3 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions, equivalent to removing more than 330 gas-powered passenger vehicles from the road annually.
Mark Rourke, President and CEO of Schneider, expressed the company’s commitment to sustainability, emphasizing the role of electric solutions in reshaping freight transport. Rourke stated, “We believe in a future where clean technology transforms the movement of goods, reducing our environmental footprint while ensuring efficiency and reliability for our customers. This milestone is just the beginning of many more to come.”
Having already serviced major brands such as Goodyear and Frito-Lay North America, Schneider’s partnership with Frito-Lay aligns with the latter’s pursuit of eliminating Scope 3 emissions. David Allen, Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer at PepsiCo Foods North America, acknowledged their collaboration with Schneider as a blueprint for building a sustainable food system.
Schneider collaborated closely with Daimler Truck North America (DTNA), Freightliner’s parent company, throughout the evolution of the eCascadia. The company piloted a truck for six months in 2020-2021 through the Freightliner Customer Experience Fleet, making Schneider the first to achieve 1 million zero-emission miles with the eCascadia.
David Carson, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing at DTNA, emphasized the significance of Schneider’s achievement for the entire industry, bringing society closer to a cleaner future.
The South El Monte charging site, where the eCascadias recharge, boasts 16 dual-corded dispensers with a capacity to charge 32 trucks simultaneously. The trucks achieve an 80% charge within 90 minutes, covering a driving range of approximately 220 miles.
Schneider’s commitment to reducing per-mile emissions by 7.5% by 2025 and 60% by 2035 aligns with its goal to help customers meet their sustainability objectives. The company is already more than halfway to its 2025 emissions reduction goal.
To mark the 1 million zero-emission mile accomplishment, Schneider’s President and CEO, Mark Rourke, will ring the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) closing bell on Tuesday, November 21.
The funding for 50 of Schneider’s 92 eCascadias was made possible through the Joint Electric Truck Scaling Initiative (JETSI), the first battery electric truck project jointly funded by the California Air Resources Board and the California Energy Commission. Additionally, the remaining 42 trucks received funding from various sources, including the U.S. EPA FY18 Targeted Airshed Grant, Hybrid and Zero-Emission Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Program (HVIP), the Volkswagen Environmental Mitigation Trust, and HVIP.
