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Anheuser-Busch Will Use Electric Trucks at SoCal Distribution Centers

AB InBev has partnered with three service providers for a deployment of 21 electric trucks at four distribution centers in Southern California.

On of the 21 Build Your Dreams battery electric trucks that Anheuser Busch will use in their Southern California fleet as part of a state project to showcase sustainable warehousing and distribution technology.
On of the 21 Build Your Dreams battery electric trucks that Anheuser Busch will use in their Southern California fleet as part of a state project to showcase sustainable warehousing and distribution technology.
Anheuser-Busch

Anheuser-Busch, along with Build Your Dreams (BYD), the Center for Transportation and the Environment (CTE), and ENGIE Services U.S., announced Oct. 2 that Anheuser-Busch will deploy 21 BYD battery electric trucks in their California fleet as part of a state project to showcase sustainable warehousing and distribution technology.

Named "The Zero Emission Beverage Handling and Distribution at Scale" project, the deployment of BYD’s second-generation 8TT Class 8 electric trucks will be at four Anheuser-Busch distribution facilities across southern California locations in Sylmar, Riverside, Pomona and Carson.

A press release said the move will be the largest Class 8 electric truck deployment in North America.

As part of the project, a southern California-based team from ENGIE will lead the design and installation of charging infrastructure at all four facilities. ENGIE will also be installing and commissioning a 958.5 kW solar array at the Carson site, which will generate zero-emissions power to offset the use of conventional energy in the charging process, further reducing emissions and resource consumption.

"At Anheuser-Busch, we are committed to leading our industry towards a more sustainable future by reducing our carbon emissions across our value chain by 25% by 2025," said Angie Slaughter, Vice President of Sustainability Procurement at Anheuser-Busch, in a press release. “The transport industry is one that is prime for innovative solutions and we are excited to continue driving progress towards a zero-emission fleet through this partnership.”

To facilitate the project, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) awarded funds to (CTE), a nonprofit in the zero-emission vehicle industry, which will be responsible for project oversight, development, management, and reporting during this deployment. CTE will also provide technical support, risk analysis and mitigation strategies, permitting, equipment and station deployment, training and assistance with commissioning.

The project is part of California Climate Investments, a statewide program working to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, strengthen the economy and improve public health and the environment. According to the joint press release, the project is expected to result in emissions reductions of 910 metric tons of CO2 per year, which the release notes is the equivalent of taking almost 200 passenger vehicles off of the road. CARB anticipates the project will be replicated statewide.

The project includes equipment testing, a one-year demonstration period, data collection, and associated reporting. CTE anticipates the trucks to begin operation near the end of 2019 with full project completion in early 2021.

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