Penske Truck Leasing has received two VNR Electric trucks from Volvo Trucks North America (VTNA), expanding its Southern California fleet of battery-electric Class 8 models. The Volvo VNR Electrics will be used by two consumer retail companies, enabling both customers to gain firsthand insight into the many benefits of battery-electric trucks, the ease of recharging, and the ideal routes to deploy additional units in the future.
“With Penske Truck Leasing operating over 330,000 vehicles globally, Volvo Trucks sees this as an incredible opportunity to collaborate with their team to deploy zero tailpipe emission VNR Electrics and help other businesses achieve their sustainable transportation goals,” Peter Voorhoeve, president of VTNA, said. “Our companies share a common mission of providing top-tier, comprehensive service to help fleets maximize uptime and reliability. We look forward to seeing positive results with these first two battery-electric units and working alongside Penske to expand its VNR Electric fleet in the future.”
The Volvo VNR Electric trucks were deployed as part of the Volvo LIGHTS (Low Impact Green Heavy Transport Solutions) project—an innovative collaboration with the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) and 12 other organizations to develop a blueprint to successfully introduce battery-electric trucks and equipment into the market at scale.
“Penske is committed to testing and providing its customers with the latest EV technologies and enabling fleet operators to drive improved sustainability within their operations,” Paul Rosa, senior vice president procurement and fleet planning at Penske Truck Leasing, noted. “We are very pleased to incorporate Volvo VNR Electric trucks into our fleet and participate in the Volvo LIGHTS project.”
Volvo LIGHTS is part of California Climate Investments, a statewide initiative that puts billions of Cap-and-Trade dollars to work reducing greenhouse gas emissions, strengthening the economy and improving public health and the environment—particularly in disadvantaged communities.
“As early adopters, Penske Truck Leasing is helping lead the deployment of zero-emission trucks in Southern California through the Volvo LIGHTS project,” Wayne Nastri, executive officer at South Coast AQMD, said. “By reducing emissions in the local freight logistics industry, we can help deliver cleaner air to the region.”
