Need to rent a big electric truck for moving or business? More options are coming soon

[ChasingCoral]

https://www.greencarreports.com/new...ving-or-business-more-options-are-coming-soon

Need to rent a big electric truck for moving or business? More options are coming soon

STEPHEN EDELSTEIN OCTOBER 11, 2020

If you've got a big move coming up, you may soon able to do it with minimal carbon emissions.

Truck-rental service Fluid Truck is adding 600 electric cargo vans and trucks to its sharing platform, with availability starting in the fourth quarter of this year, the company announced in a press release Thursday.

The vehicles will be electric conversions from Lightning Systems. The roster includes electric versions of the Ford Transit 350HD delivery van, Ford E-450 Class 4 truck, and Hino 268 Class 6 truck. They will be deployed in "major urban areas" across the United States, said Fluid Truck, which rents vehicles through a mobile app and website.

The rentals should make electric vans more widely available for occasional use by small business owners, or perhaps those who just need a mammoth van for one urban task.

Considering that much of their duty cycle involves stop-and-go urban traffic, delivery vans seem ripe for electrification. Manufacturers seem to be slowly acknowledging that.

Ryder already rents and supports electric freight vans produced by Chanje—a vehicle Green Car Reports has driven—under an agreement made back in 2017.

Although there's a lack of other electric-van options in the U.S. right now—and Lightning's vehicles are conversions—that's due to change soon. General Motors has announced that it's entering the electric commercial van business soon.

Ford is launching an electric Transit for the 2022 model year, and Amazon plans to take delivery of 100,000 Rivian electric vans by 2030.

Mercedes-Benz and Nissan also sell electric versions of their commercial vans, but so far these models haven't made it to the U.S.

In addition to selling electric-vehicle conversions, Lightning appears to be addressing all the aspects of an ecosystem. It earlier this year released a mobile fast-charging system for commercial vehicles, called Lightning Mobile.

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[Tim_C]

Ford prepares to unveil E-Transit on November 12th

 

[GoGoGadgetMachE]

Ford prepares to unveil E-Transit on November 12th

Given the Transit's popularity in commercial settings, this feels like a very big deal.

 

[RonTCat]

Moar batteries, need moar batteries...

 

[GoGoGadgetMachE]

Moar batteries, need moar batteries...

imagine a battery-powered delivery van being used to deliver batteries ??

 

[JamieGeek]

imagine a battery-powered delivery van being used to deliver batteries ??

Well if they ran out of charge some good jumper cables would get them going again...

 

[ChasingCoral]

Given the Transit's popularity in commercial settings, this feels like a very big deal.

In terms of its impact on climate change, this is a much bigger move than the Mach E. These are vehicles that run all day, every day. Electrification of the delivery sector is huge.

 

[ChasingCoral]

https://media.ford.com/content/ford...d-prepares-to-unveil-e-transit-on-nov-12.html

CONSUMERS AROUND THE WORLD ARE READY FOR GREEN DELIVERY AS FORD PREPARES TO UNVEIL E-TRANSIT ON NOV. 12
OCT 29, 2020 | DEARBORN, MICH.

On November 12, Ford officially unveils the zero-emission, all-electric E-Transit – a new version of the world’s best-selling cargo van1. And it’s arriving at a time when Americans – and others around the globe – are ready to embrace the potential of green delivery.

According to a new survey conducted in the U.S., U.K. and Germany, people are increasingly expressing openness to delivery services operated by electric vehicles. More than 60 percent of Americans and 68 percent of Brits care about the environmental impact of goods being delivered to their homes. That’s a 12 percent increase in the U.S. alone since earlier in the year.

In all three countries, more than half of respondents say they’d choose a green delivery service over a gas-powered one if price and arrival times were the same, with 54 percent in the U.S. and nearly 60 percent in the U.K. saying so. And even if they have to wait longer for a delivery via zero-emissions vans, nearly half of Americans and Brits say they would do so.

The world – and the way we power our vehicles – is changing. It’s why the time is right for a new type of Transit, something that remains the backbone of commercial business while serving both our community and the environment. Never has there been a better time to realize that doing the right thing is good for business – ours and yours.

Tune in on Nov. 12 to see how Ford is leading the charge with the reveal of the zero-emission, all-electric E-Transit.

1Based on IHS Markit New Registrations data CY2014-CYE 2019, which is compiled from government and other sources and captures 95 percent of global new vehicle volumes in more than 80 countries as reported in February 2020. Transit family-based volumes of vans, wagons, chassis cabs and cutaways include Ford Transit, Transit Custom, Transit Classic and Transit Kombi. Excludes Transit Connect and Transit Courier.

2Survey undertaken in partnership with Google across three key markets – U.S., U.K. and Germany, with 1,000 respondents in the U.S. and 1,000 respondents in the U.K. and Germany taking part in this independent study.

 

[RonTCat]

In terms of its impact on climate change, this is a much bigger move than the Mach E. These are vehicles that run all day, every day. Electrification of the delivery sector is huge.

The vehicles are really nice, but you'll likely see Mach-E type volumes. Moar batteries.

Last leg delivery vehicles, like those going from local warehouses to a customer's residence, are actually the perfect use for electric vehicles. Normally a lot of urban driving, max use of regen. Hopefully Ford can get to a high capacity generator for this vehicle. I think most vehicles right now cap regen at 35Kw.

 

[GoGoGadgetMachE]

The vehicles are really nice, but you'll likely see Mach-E type volumes. Moar batteries.

Last leg delivery vehicles, like those going from local warehouses to a customer's residence, are actually the perfect use for electric vehicles. Normally a lot of urban driving, max use of regen. Hopefully Ford can get to a high capacity generator for this vehicle. I think most vehicles right now cap regen at 35Kw.

Yeah I think for something like your UPS or FedEx deliveries or the like... but with proper equipment they would also be good for plumbers, electricians, etc.

The ICE Transit line's popularity is why I think this is a big deal - it's not just the space it's in, it's that it's already a popular vehicle line in that space.

If an EV charged in the woods and no one was there to drive it, would it make an impact?

 

[Raymondjram]

Well if they ran out of charge some good jumper cables would get them going again...

No, just a very long extension cable...

 

[Raymondjram]

If an EV charged in the woods and no one was there to drive it, would it make an impact?

Is that an old GM Impact joke?

 

[SnBGC]

In terms of its impact on climate change, this is a much bigger move than the Mach E. These are vehicles that run all day, every day. Electrification of the delivery sector is huge.

Agree.
We are just a few individuals that have chosen to own an EV for a variety of reasons. In the whole scope of things....it's a drop in the bucket at this point.

Electric delivery and work trucks are a whole different story. Fleet and business owners are going to buy those things to increase their bottom line. The purchase price of a truck is less than half the story on the balance sheet. We also look at fuel and maintenance costs and then as the unit gets older we look at lost revenue due to down time. EV vans and EV trucks make financial sense. No emotion involved either. It simply comes down to their ability to perform and generate profits. If they can do both things then that business sector is going explode. Limited only by battery supply of course.

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