Volvo Trucks North America customer, Quality Custom Distribution (QCD) — a Golden State Foods (GSF) company — is increasing its commitment to zero-tailpipe emission freight transport with its latest order of 30 Volvo VNR Electrics.
In early 2023, the battery-electric Class 8 trucks will be deployed in QCD’s Southern California fleet operations delivering products to restaurants and coffee shops throughout Riverside and San Bernardino Counties. This multi-stakeholder electrification project, announced during a press event on Monday at the Advanced Clean Transportation (ACT) Expo, includes 16 fast chargers and a renewable energy microgrid to power the chargers.
“Volvo Trucks commends our customer QCD for its continued electromobility leadership and the investments the company has made to reduce the carbon footprint of its last-mile delivery fleet,” said Peter Voorhoeve, president of Volvo Trucks North America. “It is exciting to see QCD continue to grow its Volvo VNR Electric fleet so that the company can service some of the nation’s most iconic restaurants with zero-tailpipe emission trucks.”
Each year, QCD’s fleet of 700 Class 8 tractors makes more than one million last-mile deliveries from its 26 distribution centers across the U.S., averaging more than 35 million miles on the road annually. The company’s investment in Volvo VNR Electric, which now includes 45 trucks, is a central part of its strategy to help its customers reduce their supply chain emissions.
“QCD has gained incredible firsthand insight into the real-world performance of battery-electric trucks during the past year while operating a Volvo VNR Electric truck as part of the Volvo LIGHTS project,” said Shane Blanchette, senior director of operations, QCD. “We now have the experience needed to map out the ideal routes to integrate additional battery-electric trucks, and we’ll use this knowledge as we deploy the additional 44 Volvo VNR Electrics from our distribution centers in Fontana and La Puente, California.”
Last April, QCD ordered its first batch of 14 leased Volvo VNR Electric trucks with funding support from a grant awarded to Volvo Financial Services from the Mobile Source Air Pollution Reduction Review Committee’s (MSRC) Inland Port Program. The first Volvo VNR Electrics from the 2021 order will start operations this month out of its distribution center in Fontana, California. The remaining trucks of the order will be deployed throughout 2022 and early 2023.
With the deployment of the 30 additional Volvo VNR Electrics, QCD is expanding its zero-tailpipe emission fleet to operate from a second distribution center in La Puente, California. QCD received funding for the 30 Volvo VNR Electrics through the Southern California Association of Governments’ (SCAG) Last Mile Freight Program, established in partnership with MSRC.
To further bolster the environmental and economic benefits of the project, as well as increase resiliency, QCD has partnered with Scale Microgrid Solutions to build a first-of-its-kind clean energy microgrid to power its La Puente’s battery-electric fleet and distribution center. InCharge Energy will supply and maintain fast charging stations utilizing onsite renewable energy generated by a microgrid developed by Scale Microgrid Solutions to support QCD’s growing Volvo VNR Electric fleet.
QCD partners with Volvo Trucks’ dealership Gateway Truck & Refrigeration to develop their evolving fleet and order the Volvo VNR Electrics as part of its national fleet procurement strategy. Located in the St. Louis area, Gateway is in the process of becoming a Volvo Trucks Certified Electric Vehicle (EV) Dealer so that its team can support customers throughout its Missouri and Illinois service territory with their electromobility goals.
