All-electric vans now arriving at Ryder as EV chargers roll-out in major metros

Note: Hard Working Trucks was able to take Chanje’s V8070 van for a test drive this week. Look for a full recap on this website next week. 

Ryder System announced today it has started to take delivery of 125 medium-duty electric panel vans, the first of their kind in North America, now available for lease or rent.

The arrival of the Chanje Energy vans follows an exclusive sales channel and electric vehicle service partnership that Ryder announced recently with the California-based company.

The all-electric large delivery style vans are equipped to haul up to 6,000 pounds and up to 580 cubic feet of cargo, all with zero vehicle exhaust emissions.

Ryder announced that it also plans to equip its maintenance facilities in the San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Sacramento, and San Jose, Calif. markets, as well as in the Chicago and New York markets, with the latest technology in commercial electric vehicle (EV) charging.

“The roll out of our new electric vehicle offering reinforces Ryder’s leadership in commercial advanced vehicle technology solutions and demonstrates our commitment to identifying innovative ways to meet our customers’ transportation needs,” said Dennis Cooke, president, Global Fleet Management Solutions for Ryder. “We are proud to partner with Chanje to bring an all-electric medium-duty vehicle to market as this will further promote energy efficiency in the industry by allowing our rental and lease customers to implement electric vehicles into their operations on a short-term or long-term basis.”

The Chanje all-electric large delivery style vans will become available for Ryder ChoiceLease and rental customers in most of the aforementioned markets by the end of 2017.

These initial 125 EVs will be maintained at Ryder’s state-of-the-art maintenance facilities within the California, New York, and Illinois markets where EV charging stations are being installed. Ryder is leveraging Chanje’s energy services solutions business and is equipping key Ryder locations with charging stations from eMotorWerks, Chanje’s recently announced partner.

eMotorWerks, an Enel Group company, is providing JuiceBox Pro 40 level 2 charging stations for installation at this first wave of Ryder EV maintenance facilities. These smart charging stations connect with a customized cloud-based JuiceNet control platform to intelligently manage EV charging, including remote access control, automatic energy management to avoid peak pricing, smart algorithms to maximize charging with available renewable energy from the grid and electricity usage tracking.

Ryder is the exclusive distribution and service provider for Chanje’s medium-duty EV fleet for which the company is offering preventive maintenance solutions as part of Ryder’s SelectCare fleet maintenance portfolio.

Chanje vehicles are the only vans in their class that are built as electric platforms from the ground up, enabling them to be produced at scale and positioning them as ideal for metro/city delivery applications. Chanje will subsequently introduce a full range of EVs including trucks, delivery vans, and shuttle buses in a variety of lengths and capacities.

“With this latest deployment of EVs into its rental and lease fleets, Ryder has strengthened the company’s ability to provide customers with the most flexibility, choice, and control in fleet management, as well as innovative solutions to help them reach their sustainability goals,” Ryder reports in its press release. “The electrification of the growing last-mile delivery operation for shippers has the potential to offer distribution cost benefits over time as well as promote sustainability campaigns that aim to reduce a company’s carbon footprint. The Chanje medium-duty EV fits best where these type of zero-emissions vehicles are needed the most – in highly populated urban areas where pollution and noise are a mounting concern.”