Purolator’s depot in Richmond, B.C., is the sole Canadian participant in the 2023 NACFE demonstration, showcasing its electric fleet consisting of a Motiv step van and Ford e-transit

Canadian delivery and logistics company, Purolator, is joining the North American Council for Freight Efficiency’s (NACFE) upcoming Run on Less –Electric Depot demonstration.

Purolator’s Richmond depot in British Columbia this week joined a previously announced lineup of nine other participants including Frito-Lay, OK Produce, Penske, PepsiCo, Performance Team, Schneider, UPS and WattEV.

At the same time as the Purolator announcement, California-based US Foods in La Mirada, California also joined the competition.

“It’s exciting to have a Canadian fleet participating and great to add another California fleet too,” says Mike Roeth, NACFE’s executive director in a press statement.

“We are thrilled to have so many fleets interested in being in Run on Less – Electric DEPOT and are looking forward to learning more about the operations at Purolator and US Foods.”

Electric Depot marks the second zero-emission truck-focused Run on Less demonstration, which is a joint effort between NACFE and the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI).

The first Run on Less – Electric (RoL-E) was held in 2021 and included 13 fleets with two Canadian participants.

Run on Less – Electric Depot

The 2023 Run on Less – Electric Depot will follow 10 fleets and depots across North America for 18 months as they incorporate EVs into their operations.

Throughout the event, daily metrics are collected to track the vehicle’s performance and efficiency. The demonstration will also gather data on the fleet charging infrastructure.

“Going from one or two trucks to 15 or more adds complexity to the needed infrastructure and charging requirements,” said Roeth in a press release announcing the Run on Less – Electric Depot event in January.

“Some fleets are already doing this successfully and we want to study them to learn how they overcame some of the challenges they faced in scaling electric truck adoption.”

This is the second event in a row where Run On Less is focusing on electric commercial trucks.

During the previous 2021 RoL-E, NACFE selected a Purolator fleet from Vancouver to participate along with Day & Ross in Montreal.

For the 2021 event Purolator fleet deployed a Class 6 Step Van from Motiv Power Systems, while Day & Ross deployed a Class 6 Lion Electric truck.

Trucks participating on the 2023 Run

For this year’s RoL-E Depot demonstration, Purolator will, as it did in 2021, enter a Class 6 Motiv step van. But it is also adding a Ford eTransit van that, like the Motiv, will be completing e-commerce package deliveries.

In addition to Purolator, other Canada-connections in the demo include an Ingersoll, Ont.-made GM BrightDrop van, courtesy of Penske.

Penske is also supplying a Navistar eMV and is one of several fleets studying the results of a Freightliner eCascadia.

(Schneider has opted for two Freightliner eCascadias for its slip-seated drayage, UPS has chosen a Freightliner Custom Chassis step van and eCascadia for its operations, while US Foods is using two eCascadias to deliver food.)

And Performance Team is entering two Volvo VNR Electric trucks into the event, while OK Produce has also submitted one Volvo VNR Electric. Additionally, OK Produce will showcase Orange EV terminal tractors during the event.

Meanwhile, PepsiCo, an executive sponsor of the demonstration, will operate two Tesla Semis.

Completing the list, Frito-Lay will carry out urban deliveries utilizing two Ford eTransit vans. And, WattEV will monitor a pair of Nikola Tre BEVs at the Port of Long Beach, California.

Leading up to the run, NACFE will post Depot Profiles and information about the infrastructure, trucks, routes, and drivers of the competition on their site, says Roeth.

The Electric Depot run will start on September 11.