Nissan has announced that it is currently testing two all-electric Class 8 transport trucks in California as car haulers. The goal of the trial is to explore wider use of electric trucks in the industry.
The two trucks, one supplied by Kenworth and the other by controversial startup Nikola, are being used to transport Nissan vehicles from the Port of Los Angeles to nearby dealers. The electric trucks were recently tested by delivering a collection of vehicles, including the all-electric Nissan Ariya, to Downey Nissan in California.
“Exploring the use of BEV trucks for new vehicle delivery is an important milestone in our journey toward carbon neutrality throughout our business,” said Chris Styles, the vice president of Supply Chain Management for Nissan North America. “By being an early adopter of this technology, we’re showcasing our innovative spirit and positioning ourselves to meet our long-term goals for zero-tailpipe-emission transportation.”
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The transport trucks are operated in collaboration with Avant-Garde Auto Logistics LLC, a Smyrna, Tennessee-headquartered business. The main goal of the trial is to educate Nissan’s logistics partners about the use of electric trucks and facilitate their adoption of the technology. To that end, Nissan’s logistics partner, Wallenius Wilhelmsen, has installed a charging station at the Port of Los Angeles for the electric trucks to use.
Nissan says that lessons learned in the test are already being put into action, as it plans to increase the number of electric trucks it uses in the Los Angeles area. The automaker is also exploring the possible use of electric trucks in a variety of additional logistics scenarios in the near future.
The trial is part of Nissan’s commitment to achieving carbon neutrality throughout its operations by 2050, which includes reducing the environmental impact of its entire supply chain. In addition to adding more EVs to its lineup, Nissan is actively pursuing sustainable and eco-friendly logistics solutions.
