UPS and Thor Trucks to test new electric vehicle

US-based supply chain business, United Parcel Service (UPS), is collaborating with Thor Trucks to develop and test a fully-electric class 6 delivery truck in Los Angeles, California. The truck is expected to be ready for deployment later this year.

UPS continues to work with a range of companies to test and deploy promising alternative fuel and advanced technology vehicles that will help it meet its sustainability goals. Electric vehicles, and the charging infrastructure needed to support them, play a critical role in UPS’s vision for its fleet of the future. The Thor electric delivery truck will have a driving range of approximately 160 kilometres powered by a Thor-designed and built battery that will be lightweight, durable and allow long-range driving distances.

“UPS believes in the future of commercial electric vehicles," said UPS President of Global Fleet Maintenance and Engineering, 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, engineering and any items found during on-road testing. Depending on the success of the deployment, UPS may make additional purchases of the electric vehicle.

“We’re excited about working with a forward-thinking company like UPS, particularly as our first collaboration,” said Thor Trucks co-founder and CEO, Dakota Semler. “UPS is committed to sustainability and operates one of the most well-respected and complex fleets in the country. This is also an incredibly valuable opportunity to gain insight into what it will take to fulfill our mission of getting entire electric fleets on the road.”

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 about 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.