Podcast: How to launch an electric truck company during the Trump era
Despite past failures in U.S. commercial EV initiatives, the CEO of ZM Trucks focuses on total cost of ownership: Electric trucks' primary appeal lies in financial returns.
Countless commercial electric vehicle (EV) initiatives in the U.S. have either failed or stalled. Despite this, manufacturers still plan to succeed and grow where others failed.
Zero-emission truck manufacturer ZM Trucks opened its first truck assembly plant in the Inland Empire, California, in late August. The company constructed the plant in only 88 weeks and plans to sell as many as 1,200 zero-emission trucks next year.
Joost de Vries, CEO of ZM Trucks, emphasizes the importance of total cost of ownership (TCO) and return on investment (ROI) for fleet managers, regardless of emissions.
“Customers are starting to understand that there is an ROI if you go electric,” he told FleetOwner during the company’s plant opening. “It has nothing to do with the environment.”
Editor-in-Chief Josh Fisher has been with FleetOwner since 2017. He covers everything from modern fleet management to operational efficiency, artificial intelligence, autonomous trucking, alternative fuels and powertrains, regulations, and emerging transportation technology. Based in Maryland, he writes the Lane Shift Ahead column about the changing North American transportation landscape.
