Frito-Lay expands all-electric delivery truck fleet

Frito-Lay’s California electric truck fleetis growing and once all of the new vehicles are deployed by the end of this year, California will be home to 105 all-electric delivery trucks, the largest deployment in any state.

The initial rollout of all-electric trucks in California has already eliminated the need for an estimated 50,000 gals. of fuel and 1 million lbs. of greenhouse gases, according to Frito-Lay.  When all 105 trucks are deployed, Frito-Lay expects to eliminate 200,000 gals. of fuel and nearly 4.5 million lbs. of greenhouse gases annually in the state of California. 

The new all-electric trucks will operate from distribution centers located throughout California: Alameda, City of Industry, La Mirada, Manteca, San Diego, San Jose and Torrance.

By the end of this year, Frito-Lay will have more than 275 electric trucks deployed in the U.S., making Frito-Lay the largest commercial fleet of all-electric trucks in the country, according to a company announcement. In May of this year, Frito-Lay reached a milestone of one million all-electric milesdriven.

Senior leadership from PepsiCo’s Frito-Lay North America division was joined by California Gov. Edmund G. Brown Jr., Matt Rodriquez, secretary of the California Environmental Protection Agency, and Gregory Winterbottom, chairman of the Mobile Source Air Pollution Reduction Review Committee to announce the growth of the all-electric truck fleet in California last week.

“With the continued introduction of electric vehicles into our fleet, Frito-Lay continues to assert its commitment to environmental sustainability,” said Leslie Starr Keating, senior vice president, supply chain for Frito-Lay North America.

“Nearly 20% of our medium-heavy duty delivery trucks in the state of California are slated to be transitioned to all-electric vehicles.  We have seen the accelerated growth and acquisition of this innovative technology because of the support from California. It’s these private and public partnerships that create the momentum that alternative fuel vehicles need to become even more competitive.”

To support the introduction of all-electric vehicles to the state of California, Frito-Lay received a grant from the Mobile Source Air Pollution Reduction Review Committee (MSRC), specifically in the South Coast Air Quality Management District.  The company also received funding from theCalifornia Energy Commission and the Hybrid Truck Bus Voucher Incentive Project fromCalifornia Air Resources Board, administered by CalStart.

“These electric vehicles prove we possess the capacity, technology and imagination to make change happen,” said Brown Jr. “That’s the significance of today — efficiency, elegance and renewable energy coming together for a private company, in partnership with state and federal government.”

In the U.S., Frito-Lay hopes to reduce its total fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2020, compared to 2007 baseline. Across PepsiCo, in addition to electric trucks, the company has introduced 267 hybrid electric trucks and 67 compressed natural gas (CNG) tractors; 176 hybrid electric vehicles and14 CNG tractors are scheduled to operate in California.