NFI Expands Class 8 Electric Truck Fleet in Southern California Through Jetsi; Delivery of First 15 of 50 Trucks

NFI, one of the US’ oldest and largest third-party supply chain solutions providers, is expanding its fleet of Class 8 battery-electric trucks (BETs) in Southern California as part of the Joint Electric Truck Scaling Initiative (JETSI) project.

Under the project, which is designed to show that fleets can successfully scale their BET fleets, NFI will deploy and operate 30 electric Freightliner eCascadias and 20 Volvo VNR Electric trucks from its Ontario, California, warehouse facility to support its dedicated port drayage services for customers spanning from manufacturing to retail. NFI has taken delivery of the first 15 of its Class 8 BETs funded through the project, with the remaining ordered trucks set to be delivered by the end of June 2023.

Over the past 90 years, NFI has amassed a company-owned fleet of more than 5,000 tractors and 14,300 trailers. As part of the company’s commitment to drive supply chain sustainability, NFI has taken a leadership role in the electrification of freight movement and has participated in several BET demonstration projects since 2018, including the Volvo LIGHTS, Daimler Truck’s Innovation Fleet, and Switch-On projects.

Through these projects, NFI’s demonstration fleet of Freightliner eCascadias, Volvo VNR Electrics, and electric yard tractors has traveled more than 1.5 million miles to date and offset more than 2,300 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions—equivalent to eliminating 225,933 gallons of diesel fuel consumption.

Through its participation in multiple freight electrification projects, NFI has gained valuable insight into which routes are optimal for BETs, based on the number of stops, topography, traffic patterns, freight being transported, and more. In addition, NFI has collaborated with Volvo Trucks North America and Daimler Truck North America to configure its trucks based on its operational needs, as well as train its drivers on how to extend power in the battery and how to maximize regenerative braking benefits.

To install the charging infrastructure needed to support its growing BET fleet, NFI is working closely with Southern California Edison, Electrify Commercial, and the City of Ontario to upgrade the facility’s power supply and install 19 350kW power cabinets, which have 38 electric vehicle charger dispensers. NFI’s Ontario charging infrastructure is anticipated to be installed and energized by the end of 2023. In the meantime, NFI will temporarily operate its BETs from its Chino facility, which contains high-powered charging infrastructure from earlier projects.

Funding for 50 of NFI’s BETs and supporting charging infrastructure came from JETSI, a joint project of the South Coast Air Quality Management District (South Coast AQMD), California Air Resources Board (CARB) and the California Energy Commission (CEC).

 

JETSI is jointly financed by California Air Resources Board and California Energy Commission ($26.98 million), MSRC ($8 million), and South Coast AQMD ($5.4 million), with an additional $21.7 million from Port of Long Beach, Port of Los Angeles, Southern California Edison, NFI, and Schneider.