What’s delivering electric fleets? FedEx and ChargePoint weigh in

Forever taking the fossil fuels out of delivering goods, from the long haul to the last mile, can go a long way toward reducing carbon emissions on a meaningful scale. What is attracting more companies to pursue electric fleets, and what’s holding back more of them from ditching the diesel?

“We’re seeing almost every day, it seems like, new product announcements, partnerships, joint ventures, significant investments being made,” said Ben Sharpe, senior researcher at the International Council on Clean Transportation, speaking at the VERGE Electrify virtual event.

Legacy big-rig makers including Volvo, Daimler, Cummins and Peterbilt are aggressively bringing electric vehicles to market, as are a wide range of startups such as BYD, Proterra, Orange EV and GreenPower. Meanwhile, one of the Biden administration’s earliest big announcements this year was its goal to electrify federal fleets.