Penske Truck Leasing Piloting New Ford E-Transit Electric Light-Duty Truck
Penske Truck Leasing is adding to its industry-leading electric truck fleet by piloting the new light-duty preproduction Ford E-Transit truck. Penske is currently operating an E-Transit in its home market of Reading, Pennsylvania.
E-Transit, the first all-electric cargo van from a full-line automaker in North America, is the electric version of the Ford Transit.
Assembled alongside Ford Transit at the Kansas City assembly plant, E-Transit is designed to serve a wide range of commercial industries, providing its customers a choice of eight configurations, including a cargo van with three roof heights and three lengths, chassis cab and cutaway models.
"Penske and Ford have a longstanding and valued relationship," said Art Vallely, president, Penske Truck Leasing. "We're excited to collaborate with Ford Pro on the introduction and real-world testing of these new electric vehicles as the first truck rental and leasing company to do so. We expect to see strong utilization and interest from customers making final-mile deliveries, regional deliveries, and eventually consumer use for smaller household moves."
This unit will be rented to regional small- and medium-sized commercial businesses. Penske's long-term electric vehicle plans include adding units throughout its wider network, including Southern California.
Paul Rosa, Penske senior vice president of procurement and fleet planning: "We are very pleased to expand our electric vehicle learnings with the addition of the Ford E-Transit to our fleet."
"Our customers are telling us that they have ambitious corporate sustainability goals to reduce their fleet's carbon emissions through the integration of all-electric vehicles," said Ford Pro CEO Ted Cannis. "E-Transit and supporting Ford Pro ecosystem, especially end-to-end charging, play a critical role in achieving those goals and maintaining their business operations without disruption."
The E-Transit is expected to begin arriving at Ford dealerships in Q1 2022.
By "Move Ahead" Staff