(Credit: Pixabay)FedEx started construction on electronic DC (direct current) charging stations back in January, and today announced the next phase of its electric vehicle rollout. Through an agreement with Chanje Energy, the company plans to electrify 42 FedEx stations in California, making it one of the largest deployments of integrated charging infrastructure by a single commercial fleet to date.
FedEx announced the addition of 1,000 Chanje V8100 electric delivery vehicles to its fleet last November. FedEx is purchasing 100 of the vehicles from Chanje Energy and leasing 900 from Ryder System. Today’s agreement will provide an innovative infrastructure to support the continued rollout of its electric vehicle fleet.
The DC charging system was designed specifically for FedEx. The project will support daily charging for more than 1,000 electric vehicles, which were leased to FedEx. Notable features include:
Chanje Energy will begin production of the EVs later this year. The vehicles are manufactured by FDG Electric Vehicles Limited in Hangzhou, China, and purchased through Chanje Energy. They will be delivered on a rolling basis over the next year. Ryder System will provide maintenance and distribution support services for all of the vehicles.
FedEx has been using all-electric vehicles as part of its pickup-and-delivery fleet since 2009. The company has also extended its energy efficiency efforts to other areas of its business. In 2019, FedEx signed a 10-year deal with Switch to serving as FedEx’s western US data center. Switch, a company that develops data center ecosystems, will deliver 2.5 MW of 100% clean power in year one, and up to 8 MW by year 10, for colocation as well as multiple telecom network services.
