Rizon says the Villamar vehicle is the first of many upcoming deliveries of its electric Class 4 trucks in Canada

Custom home builder, Villamar Construction, is taking another step towards achieving its 100 per cent fleet electrification goals by welcoming a zero-emission Rizon truck to its Victoria, B.C., fleet.

The all-electric Class 4 e18L model dump truck was delivered to Villamar’s offices last Friday. It’s the company’s first time adopting a medium-duty electric truck into its operations — but Villamar already operates two electric Ford F-150 Lightnings.

“We’ve always been a little apprehensive about electrifying equipment, but there’s lots of machinery — excavators, loaders, and other construction equipment — that is starting to become electrified,” says Mike Edwardson, general manager at Villamar, in an interview with Electric Autonomy.

“I think battery capacity is the limiting factor at the moment. But with Rizon’s long range (250 km), it seemed to check the right boxes for us. This is our first go at it, and we’re going to see how it does.”

Villamar will deploy the Rizon dump truck in the coming weeks. The truck’s duty-cycle includes moving equipment and materials, delivering gravel and hauling away construction waste.

Adopting EVs

Villamar currently has a fleet of 15 vehicles (including the two Lightnings and the new Rizon truck).

It’s all part of the company’s “desire to be more environmentally conscious” in its operations.

Plus, there are some savings perks too.

“I went from a one-ton gas truck to the Ford Lightning and my fuel costs went from $1,000 – $1,200 per month to, probably, $150 in electricity use. It’s pretty significant,” says Edwardson. “I think it’d be the same type of benefit [with the Rizon truck].”

Edwardson says he still has some question marks in his mind about the effect of adverse conditions on the electric vehicles’ performance that he wants to watch the Rizon for, but, assuming all goes well, “Our goal is to have a full fleet of EVs, eventually.”

And, to support its realized and anticipated electric fleet, Villamar installed one Level 2 charger and one 90-kW DC fast charger at its Victoria office.

The company also has a 15-kW solar grid on site, which Edwardson sees as an opportunity to power their vehicles with renewable energy.

“I like the thought of being able to take energy from the sun and pump it into my dump truck,” he says.

More Rizon trucks coming

Villamar believes it is the first fleet to receive an electric Rizon truck in Canada, but Mark Smith, district sales manager for the west at Rizon Truck Canada, promises that many more are on the way.

“We have roughly about 20 more deliveries happening between now and end of February along with more orders to be fulfilled in the coming months,” Smith shared in an email to Electric Autonomy.

Rizon’s customers include municipalities, last-mile delivery companies and rental fleets.

“Interest is also coming in from a variety of different end users so we’re very excited to work with everyone to find the right solutions for their needs.”

Rizon will be attending the EV & Charging Expo in Toronto May 14-15, 2025. Tickets are available for purchase here.