Ruan adds Orange EV terminal truck to its electric fleet

Dive Brief:

Ruan Transportation Management Systems has partnered with OEM Orange EV to add an electric terminal truck to an operations facility in St. Joseph's, Missouri, the companies announced on Wednesday.
The move expands Ruan's heavy-duty electric fleet and represents the latest collaboration between the carrier and Orange. Ruan first purchased an Orange electric terminal truck in 2020 for its Otsego, Minnesota warehouse.
The project is partially funded by a grant awarded through the Metropolitan Energy Center in Kansas City, Missouri, according to the press release. Ruan will continue to use electric yard trucks "where feasible" as the technology grows in popularity.

Dive Insight:

Ruan has used Orange's electric yard truck at its Minnesota operation over the last 18 months, with Ruan Vice President of Fleet Services Brad Gehring noting the "reliability has been unparalleled, exceeding uptime expectations."

Orange EV was an early startup to tackle truck electrification. The company has deployed the most operational zero-emission trucks in the U.S. as of December 2021, according to a report from C alstart. Its customers include major brands, such as DHL and Albertsons.

"We are excited to have another Orange EV customer scale up deployments after experiencing first-hand how well our trucks do the job," said Zack Ruderman, Orange EV vice president of sales and marketing. "Orange EV deployments are a win-win, delivering solutions that are both economically and environmentally sustainable."

Electric truck deployment could see an up to 10-fold jump in the next decade, and yard trucks are rising in their makeup of the sector— last year they made up 20% of all zero-emission truck deployments, according to Calstart.

More companies, whether at ports or warehouse facilities, are looking to electrify as the pressure to get sustainable grows across the trucking industry. Earlier this month, Red Hook Container Terminals announced that its fleet of 10 BYD Motors heavy-duty zero-emission electric terminal tractors at Port Newark led to a 90% drop in carbon emissions. BYD has deployed the second highest number of electric trucks behind Orange, according to Calstart.

Orange is looking to keep out in front of BYD when it comes to widespread deployment. Last fall, it announced the rollout of new intermodal terminal trucks, slated to hit the market in the third quarter of this year.

"Orange EV understands the vital role that today's port and rail hubs play in goods movement, warehousing, and freight distribution," Orange EV President and Chief Technology Officer Kurt Neutgens said in a statement. "Intermodal operations that have been looking for safer, more reliable, cost-effective trucks – that can do the job – now have a solution."