Used car retailer CarMax has sold many electric vehicles over its 30 year history, but the company is now taking its own leap down the path toward electrification. The company recently kicked off a pilot of the company's first all-electric semi truck, using it as a vehicle hauler in the San Joaquin Valley, California area.
The Richmond, Virginia-based company's Freightliner eCascadia, the first all-electric semi-truck to be leased by Penske Truck Leasing as a vehicle hauler, can transport up to seven vehicles and travel an estimated 230 miles on a single charge.
A CarMax spokesperson told Clean Trucking that the weight of the number of cars on the hauler has on the truck's range "is one of the elements we are interested in testing in real-world conditions as a part of this pilot," adding, "the capacity of the all-electric semi-truck hauler is the same as its diesel counterpart."
CarMax's Stockton, California, store will serve as the region's hub for fast-charging the vehicle with a Level 3 charging station.
Patrick Watt, vice president of alternative vehicle and emerging technologies at Penske Truck Leasing, noted that electric semis are well-suited to meet CarMax’s regional delivery needs while also reducing emissions. CarMax’s test to replace a diesel semi-truck with a zero-emission vehicle supports the company’s overall efforts to reduce its environmental impact and work toward its commitment to achieve a 50% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2025 and reach its goal of net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
“We are excited to test the efficiencies of the all-electric semi-truck within our transportation fleet and to see how this vehicle can support our overall sustainability efforts,” said Matt Aman, vice president of logistics at CarMax.
