Schneider welcomes first battery-electric truck

Transportation and logistics provider Schneider celebrated the arrival of its first battery-electric vehicle (BEV) in Southern California this week, marking the first of a fleet of BEVs the company expects to have in service by the end of the year.

The delivery was the first of nearly 100 Freightliner eCascadias from Daimler Truck North America (DTNA). They will join the company’s Southern California intermodal operations, powered by 16 charging stations Schneider is building.

The trucks are part of Schneider’s efforts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions per mile by 7.5% by 2025, and 60% by 2035, the company said in a press release. Those goals are part of a larger effort to provide customers a cleaner mode of shipping, which includes pairing electric trucks with intermodal services.

The eCascadias have the potential to remove the equivalent of 2,400 gas-powered cars from the road in the course of a year, according to the company.