UPS is partnering with Thor Trucks to develop and test a fully-electric class 6 delivery truck in Los Angeles for deployment this year.
The electric delivery truck will have a driving range of around 100 miles powered by a Thor-designed and built battery.
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“UPS believes in the future of commercial electric vehicles,” said UPS global fleet maintenance and engineering president, Carlton Rose.
“We want to support the research needed to make advances and the companies developing those innovative products.
“Performance is critical in our fleet. We are excited to get this vehicle on the road to test how it handles routes in and around Los Angeles.”
For six months, UPS will test the medium-duty electric delivery truck as part of its fleet. Testing will include off-road evaluation to address durability, battery capacity, technical integration and engineering. Depending on the success of the deployment, UPS may make additional purchases of the electric vehicle.
UPS continues to expand its use of electric vehicles and works with a wide array of manufacturers including Arrival, Daimler, Tesla, Thor, Workhorse and others.
Using its ‘Rolling Laboratory’ approach, UPS deploys around 9,300 low-emission vehicles to determine which technology works best in each route configuration. This includes all-electric, hybrid electric, hydraulic hybrid, ethanol, compressed natural gas (CNG), liquefied natural gas (LNG) and propane.
