Ruan recently purchased a fully electric Orange EV terminal truck for our warehouse in Otsego, MN. It will be utilized 24/7 to move inbound and outbound trailers for our customer Bobcat.
“The advantages of electric vehicles are considerable,” said Vice President of Fleet Services James Cade. “Companies can save on fuel, engine and transmission-related powertrain maintenance, and emissions control compared to a diesel unit.”
Before the truck is in-serviced this fall, our professional drivers, technicians, and operations team will receive detailed training from Orange EV on the safe operation and charging of the vehicle, which will be done from a wall-mounted charging cabinet on a separate electric meter. Ruan’s technicians will perform basic preventive maintenance on the truck, including tires and brakes, and a local Orange EV technician will handle any specialized work on the electrical systems and battery.
Comparing electric to diesel, Orange EV trucks have eliminated the diesel engine, transmission, and radiator along with the diesel fueling, exhaust, and emission control systems. What remains are far fewer, largely sealed and maintenance-free elements. This means less wear and tear, reducing maintenance, repair, and downtime.
The electric truck’s powertrain also generates less noise, heat, and vibration than diesel counterparts. As a result, many other Orange EV clients have reported more driver-friendly work conditions that are conducive to reduced fatigue, safety incidents, and driver turnover. And, the trucks have regenerative braking, which provides finer control of the vehicle acceleration and deceleration.
“Ruan is committed to implementing electric vehicles in our fleet,” Cade said. “We continue to work closely with several OEMs and electric utility providers as we consider electrification options for our operations.” Ruan is currently working on a project for a second terminal truck unit in another operation, and we have five electric heavy-duty trucks on order from Tesla. Due to COVID-19 production delays, these units likely will not be delivered until the second half of 2021.
This project is partially funded through a grant received from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) under the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA). The grant requires the destruction of an existing diesel yard tractor from our Otsego location.