ORANGE EV NEWS
Firefly Provides Zero-Emission Yard Management with Orange EV Trucks
KANSAS CITY, MO and GLENVIEW, IL, August 14, 2018 - into yard management operations for a leading manufacturer of consumer packaged goods. Providing emission-free yard management services at manufacturing and distribution facilities in Michigan and California, Firefly will reduce costs and add new KPI reporting and tracking capabilities while supporting customer sustainability goals. Firefly offers leading-edge transportation services, providing customers with Orange EV’s 100% battery-electric yard trucks for spotting operations. For this consumer brand leader, Firefly has delivered the first commercially deployed, pure electric Class 8 truck in the state of Michigan. "To cut operating costs, improve operations, and reduce emissions all at the same time requires firms to do things differently," commented Mike Saxton, Orange EV’s Chief Commercial Officer. "Firefly’s team of respected logistics industry leaders has built a new model for transportation services free from the burdens of older diesel technologies.” Orange EV’s industry-leading fleet of Class 8 battery-electric trucks, commercially deployed since 2015, recently surpassed 575,000 miles and 161,000 “key on” hours. Fleets using Orange EV trucks have repeatedly affirmed increased reliability and driver satisfaction as well as reduced maintenance and downtime. With operational cost savings of $20,000 to $60,000 annually, total cost of ownership of an Orange EV electric is often significantly less than that of a diesel. “From a warehouse and logistics standpoint, we’ve done those jobs, been in those roles, and understand the challenges facing traditional diesel yard management where fleets are hard-pressed to find more savings or productivity. Legacy equipment and systems don’t meet the demands of today’s transportation environment,” said Mike Bohnstengel, Principal Partner at Firefly Transportation Services. “Firefly’s fresh approach delivers immediate cost savings with fuel costs reduced 80 percent or more. Through onboard telematics, key performance indicators, and real-time reporting and analysis, we help clients better understand and manage current yard operations, identify efficiencies, and improve bottom line productivity.” Firefly employs industry best practices to deliver superior yard management services while improving safety for operators and site personnel. Orange EV trucks have lower noise and vibration and run on voltages less than 120VDC, significantly lower and safer than the 350VDC to 450VDC used by other vehicle manufacturers. “Some find it hard to believe that an electric truck can do everything their old diesel does while also being cooler, quieter, and lower cost to operate,” said Bohnstengel. “We invite fleets to drive the Orange EV truck and experience safer, emission-free yard management for themselves.” Through state-of-the-art technology, is revolutionizing the spotting services industry. Firefly provides 100% electric trucks for yard management operations to create a safer and healthier work environment, support fleet sustainability goals, and reduce operating costs. For all spotting and shuttling services, Firefly delivers advanced analytics, KPI reporting, and in-depth business reviews. With nearly 75 years of combined experience in transportation, logistics, and supply chain management, the Firefly leadership team has deep industry expertise and is committed to improving clients’ bottom line productivity. Kansas City based into container handling operations. { "@context": "", "@type": "ImageObject", "contentUrl": "", "contentlocation": "US", "name": "Firefly's Orange EV terminal truck", "description": "Firefly Transportation Services deployment of Orange EV T-Series pure electric terminal trucks", "provider": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Orange EV", "url": "", "image": "" } }
What “Smart” Equipment Means for Intermodal: Orange EV to speak at IANA Intermodal Expo, September 16-18, 2018
Orange EV, along with Peloton Technologies, Volvo Trucks, and Konecranes, will give a panel presentation entitled “Racing into the Future: What the Next Generation [...]
OMSS First to Deploy Electric Class 8 Truck to Port of Oakland
KANSAS CITY, MO and OAKLAND, CA, June 26, 2018 - busiest in the U.S. Through this deployment, OMSS will eliminate yard truck emissions, better serve the port drayage trucking fleet, and reduce the impacts of trucking within West Oakland. “OMSS is now operating the first commercially-deployed, 100% electric Class 8 truck in the Port of Oakland,” said Mike Saxton, Chief Commercial Officer for Orange EV. “Bill Aboudi is community leader and staunch advocate for alternative fuel technologies. Many fleets continue to purchase diesel, but OMSS chose Orange EV’s pure electric.” Aboudi is inviting interested fleets to visit OMSS, see the Orange EV truck, and understand its capabilities. “The technology is here, it does the job, and is ready for prime time right now. We understand that people need to see it to believe it, so we’d welcome those interested to call and come visit. We love showing off the truck.” OMSS provides parking and services for truckers who move containers to and from the Port of Oakland, thereby alleviating street congestion in West Oakland. To further reduce the impacts of truck activity within the community, OMSS has continued to add services. The new OMSS Center, expected to be complete within two years, will expand current offerings while adding office space, food services, truck scales, a trans-load facility, and more. "The OMSS mission is a community mission,” said Bill Aboudi, President of OMSS. “We strive to serve the trucking community while also significantly reducing emissions, noise, and truck activity in West Oakland. We’re proud to work with the City of Oakland on this valuable project, and grateful for the ongoing support from Council members Lynette Gibson McElhaney and Rebecca Kaplan." Brian Beveridge, Co-Director of the West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project, commented, "It's exciting to see the zero emissions revolution finally getting a foothold at the Port of Oakland, and we are proud that a good friend of the community like Bill is taking the lead with Orange EV’s technology. Every diesel engine that is replaced with electric is a step toward a cleaner and healthier community in West Oakland." OMSS uses terminal trucks to move and pre-stage containers for truckers utilizing OMSS facilities. Before purchasing the Orange EV truck, OMSS researched alternatives. “We looked around, but other electric trucks were too heavy, couldn’t meet our operating requirements, or weren’t ready for market,” stated Aboudi. “The yard hostler is critical to our operations, so we naturally wanted to go with the industry leader. That’s Orange EV. They specialize in electric hostlers and it shows. The Orange EV truck looks the same, acts the same, and does the same job as our current hostler, but is much easier to operate and maintain, and has zero emissions.” Orange EV’s battery-electric terminal trucks have torque on demand, smooth acceleration and deceleration, low noise and vibration, and can be built in multiple configurations to meet site-specific needs and duty cycles. Fleets report significant savings from reduced maintenance, repair, and downtime. Orange EV’s powertrain has far fewer parts than diesels and is largely maintenance-free. Depending upon operation, Orange EV trucks can run more than 24 hours on a single charge. “In early use, the battery never dropped below 85%,” said Aboudi. “The Orange EV truck is very easy to charge, and drivers plug in whenever the truck isn’t in use. With our operations, we can use it 24/7 with no problems whatsoever.” Aboudi continued, “The support we’ve received from Orange EV is unparalleled. The sales team was thorough and responsive, explaining the technology, working to understand our operations, and ensuring the truck was spec’d properly. And since we don’t have personnel to service our hostler, we need and appreciate our local Orange EV service technician.” OMSS utilized funding from the Hybrid and Zero-Emission Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Project (HVIP) to purchase their Orange EV truck. “Every incentive program should be like HVIP,” commented Aboudi. “It’s a simple process that gets new technology deployed quickly without burdening fleets with a lot of paperwork.” HVIP is currently open, offering incentive amounts of up to $175,000 per Orange EV terminal truck. is a truck parking and services facility for the 8,000+ trucks moving to and from the Port of Oakland on a daily basis. OMSS is currently modernizing, expanding, and relocating their existing facility to a 15-acre parcel at the former Oakland Army Base, further reducing the impact of truck activity in the West Oakland community. The new OMSS Center will be a one-stop service destination for trucks at the Port of Oakland, providing auto and truck fueling stations, parking, container storage, truck scales, trans-load facility, a convenience market, restaurant food court, office space, and other services. The OMSS Center will be a “green” state-of-the-art trucking services facility showcasing clean energy alternatives including a biodiesel fueling station. Kansas City based terminal trucks, Orange EV was the first and is still the only manufacturer offering 100% electric Class 8 vehicles that have been commercially deployed and re-ordered into container handling operations. { "@context": "", "@type": "ImageObject", "contentUrl": "", "contentlocation": "United States", "url": "", "name": "OMSS Orange EV Pure Electric Terminal Truck at Port of Oakland", "description": "OMSS Orange EV Pure Electric Terminal Truck at Port of Oakland", "provider": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Orange EV", "url": "", "image": "" } }
Understanding the Heavy-Duty Truck Classification
Orange EV appreciates being included in the “Global Electric Trucks and Delivery Vans Markets Report for 2018-2028”, even if wrongly classified. In the report, Orange EV is incorrectly categorized as a medium-duty electric vehicle (MDV). By all standards, terminal trucks (aka yard trucks, hostlers, spotters) are heavy-duty electric vehicles (HDV). According to the Federal Highway Administration, a heavy-duty vehicle has a GVWR >26,001 pounds, and a Class 8 heavy-duty vehicle has a GVWR >33,001 pounds. Orange EV 100% electric trucks have a GVWR of 40,900 pounds and are therefore Class 8 heavy-duty vehicles. Building both new and re-powered terminal trucks, [...]
Ability Tri-Modal Deploys Five Orange EV Electric Yard Trucks to California Distribution Operations
KANSAS CITY, MO and CARSON, CA, June 20, 2018 - to three of Tri-Modal’s warehousing and distribution facilities, a combined 750,000 square feet of warehouse space close to the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. Continuously seeking versatile solutions and operational excellence, Ability Tri-Modal has deployed the heavy-duty electric trucks to reduce carbon footprint while decreasing costs. “The Orange EV trucks are a solution-based purchase,” said Greg Owen, owner and Head Coach of Ability Tri-Modal. “They’re going to give us a return on investment.” “Ability Tri-Modal is a clear leader and innovator in clean transportation” said Mike Saxton, Orange EV’s Chief Commercial Officer. “It’s been an honor to work with Greg Owen and his team to put in service the first commercially-deployed, 100% electric Class 8 trucks directly supporting the California ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.” Ability Tri-Modal uses ten terminal tractors for yard management, which operate up to 20 hours per day, five days a week. Said Owen, “The yard truck is the hardest-working piece of equipment in our fleet, and it’s also the most affected by increasingly strict environmental regulation.” Bob Krug, Maintenance Director for Ability Tri-Modal, added, “With older diesels, wear-and-tear and rough use were the main issues. With the newer ones, 90% of the problems are related to emissions control technology.” “For the last 12 years or more, we’ve had two or three diesels down at any one time,” Owen stated. “We needed a solution, and until Orange EV, no one had answers.” In their ongoing search for an economic, reliable alternative to diesel, Tri-Modal began tracking electric yard truck development. According to Owen, “Initial port demonstration projects were disappointing due to the early technologies. We then spoke with fleets that have been heavily operating Orange EV trucks for years, proving that Orange EV’s newer technology does the job. These fleets indicate that downtime is minimal, maintenance and fuel costs are reduced, and Orange EV is committed to both their customers and ongoing product development. Orange EV provides a solution to the increased costs associated with diesel equipment.” Moderate-use sites report annual savings of $30,000 per Orange EV truck in fuel, maintenance, and emission control related costs; heavier-use sites can save much more. With five electric yard trucks managing trailers at multiple Tri-Modal facilities, Krug concluded, “The Orange EV trucks have been perfect, going above and beyond expectations. We’ve had no issues and the drivers love them.” The Orange EV deployment is just the latest initiative in Ability Tri-Modal's efforts to “think green” like the Port of Long Beach, operating as efficiently and sustainably as possible. The company has been honored on multiple occasions by the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach for early adaptation to the ports’ Clean Trucks Program, and operates a 100% clean truck fleet, in compliance with rigorous port and state requirements. Looking to the future, Tri-Modal plans to install solar panels to charge its growing fleet of electric equipment with electricity generated on-site. Ability Tri-Modal utilized funding from the Hybrid and Zero-Emission Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Project (HVIP) to purchase their Orange EV trucks. HVIP is currently open, offering incentive amounts of up to $175,000 per Orange EV terminal truck. specializes in in trans-loading, consolidation and de-consolidation, warehousing, retail delivery, and a variety of value-added services. With operations in Carson, California and Ladson, South Carolina, Ability Tri-Modal is a proven, award-winning transportation company that is rooted in its devotion to superior customer service. The company continuously meets and exceeds expectations through highly versatile customer solutions, operational excellence, and results-driven attitude. Ability Tri-Modal’s motto, “Service Above Self” fuels the passion, innovation, and mission to execute measurable benefits to the customer. Kansas City based terminal trucks, Orange EV was the first and is still the only manufacturer offering 100% electric Class 8 vehicles that have been commercially deployed and re-ordered into container handling operations. { "@context": "", "@type": "ImageObject", "contentUrl": "", "url": "", "contentlocation": "US", "name": "Ability Tri-Modal Deploys Five Orange EV Electric Yard Trucks to Carson, California Distribution Operations", "description": "Orange EV yellow tri-modal electric yard truck", "provider": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Orange EV", "url": "", "image": "" } } { "@context": "", "@type": "ImageObject", "contentUrl": "", "url": "", "contentlocation": "US", "name": "Ability Tri-Modal Deploys Five Orange EV Electric Yard Trucks to Carson, California Distribution Operations", "description": "Orange EV yellow tri-modal electric yard truck", "provider": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Orange EV", "url": "", "image": "" } }
Can Shorter Truck Lifecycles Save Fleets Money
With diesels, yes. But with electric trucks, expect longer asset life and lower operating costs. The HDT Trucking article “Can Shorter Truck Lifecycles Save Fleets Money?” begins: “Want to save money on maintenance? Get rid of your trucks before they start costing you big bucks. A recently published white paper from Fleet Advantage suggests the longer you keep a truck, the more it costs in maintenance and repairs.” The article references a white paper that “uses data culled from 5 billion miles of real-world fleet operations”, almost certainly conventionally fueled fleets. Orange EV’s 100% electric Class 8 trucks have been [...]