From Engine Builder
Cummins Inc. is gearing up for the North American Council for Freight Efficiency (NACFE) Run on Less – Electric (RoL-E), an electric truck technology demonstration. The RoL-E is a three-week event beginning Sept. 2 featuring daily performance metrics, and real-world fleet stories documenting the benefits and challenges of deploying electric trucks. Cummins is participating in the event with a Class 6 box truck powered by the Cummins PowerDrive electric powertrain.
To participate in RoL-E, Cummins is collaborating with Frito-Lay, a division of PepsiCo and leading food manufacturer. Cummins delivered the electric truck to Frito-Lay on Nov. 17, 2020, and the vehicle was immediately put into operation, running daily routes, delivering food products to supermarkets and grocery stores in Manteca, California, and surrounding communities. The truck was reliably running up to six days a week, averaging a total of 65-80 miles per day with an uptime of over 95%. After more than six months of field tests, the truck is now running routes in Modesto, California. In this facility, Frito-Lay is in the process of replacing all of its existing diesel-powered fleet equipment with zero-emissions (ZE) and near-zero emissions (NZE) technologies. RoL-E will capture performance data from the truck as it completes real-world work in Modesto.
“Cummins is thrilled to showcase our electrified technology in the NACFE Run on Less – Electric,” President of Cummins New Power, Amy Davis said. “A demonstration like RoL-E provides valuable insights for fleets across the country and allows us to continually validate, improve and expand our technologies and portfolio of power solutions. We are developing zero-emissions solutions that improve the environment and continue to provide customers the power, performance, and reliability to be successful.”
“In 2017 and again in 2019, NACFE Run on Less projects worked to showcase best-in-class demonstrations of advancements in freight efficiency,” Executive Director at NACFE Mike Roeth said. “With Run on Less – Electric, fleets, along with their truck OEM partners, have the opportunity to establish efficiency expectations for new battery technologies, all the while meeting sustainability goals.”
Updates, daily performance data and fleet perspectives will be shared throughout the RoL-E demonstration and will be available starting Sept. 2 at runonless.com/metrics.
