As published by Drive Clean Indiana.
Tire Rack staff celebrates the delivery of two electric terminal trucks. Pictured from left: Leah Thill (MACOG), Matthew DeCloedt and Connor Edmonds (Tire Rack), and Ryan Lisek and Elise Bereolos (Drive Clean Indiana). Photo credit: Drive Clean Indiana
As part of Tire Rack’s sustainability and diesel emission reduction efforts, this project will replace two diesel-powered terminal trucks with 2024 Orange EV e-TRIEVER all-electric terminal trucks. The switch is projected to displace over 10,000 diesel gallons annually.
The ribbon cutting took place in conjunction with a private electric vehicle test drive event held on Tire Rack’s closed track. The event allowed law enforcement officials and other local government employees to test drive various electric vehicles best suited for their day-to-day operations.
“This project is an important step in our journey toward sustainability, but it represents just one part of Tire Rack’s broader efforts to create meaningful environmental impact. We remain dedicated to pursuing new projects and initiatives that drive continuous progress, reduce emissions, and contribute to a healthier future for our community and beyond,” said Tire Rack’s Director of Engineering and Facilities Connor Edmonds.
Tire Rack’s commitment to sustainability is contributing to air quality improvements in St. Joseph County. As identified through the Climate & Economic Justice Screening Tool (CEJST), the local St. Joseph County population is in the 75th percentile statewide for individuals living with asthma. The implementation of the electric terminal truck project will reduce NOx emissions in the county by 23 short tons per year, directly benefitting affected community members.
Orange EV, a heavy-duty electric truck manufacturer, has deployed over 1,000 all-electric terminal trucks with over 220 fleets across 38 states in the United States and Ontario, Canada since 2015. The manufacturer boasts an impressive average uptime of over 98%, coupled with a total cost of ownership lower than that of a conventional diesel terminal truck.
Drive Clean Indiana’s Program Director, Ryan Lisek said, “This project shows great leadership from an Indiana-based company to decarbonize its emissions from every tire that is transported at this facility. This project improves quality of life for the local community, but also lowers the carbon footprint for every customer Tire Rack serves”.
Published: December 17, 2024/Drive Clean Indiana
About Tire Rack
Tire Rack, family-owned and headquartered in South Bend, Ind., is a leading independent tire tester and consumer-direct source for tires, wheels, and performance accessories. Their team tests tires from every major tire manufacturer at the company’s 12-acre test facility on the headquarter campus, at Treadwell Research Park in Pearsall, Texas, and winter test facilities in Northern Michigan. Findings are published on the company’s website, www.tirerack.com, where consumers can make an educated decision on their purchase. Tire Rack has also collected the largest known cache of consumer ratings and reviews anywhere, with more than 200,000 consumer surveys representing over 2.9 billion miles of real-world tire data. Its testing and informational videos are available online in their Video Center at www.tirerack.com/videos.
Since 1979, Tire Rack has grown from a single-point retail store in Indianapolis, In to encompass over 2.9 million square feet of space in 12 distribution centers across the country. A diverse and broad in-stock inventory from 26 major tire and nearly 60 wheel brands can be delivered anywhere in the country, most in one business day. A national network of over 10,000 independent Recommended Installers is available to assist customers across the country with installation of their purchases. Tire Rack continues to revolutionize the tire buying process with their mobile tire installation service, using a growing fleet of nearly 100 custom service vans and expert technicians that install tires in your driveway, at work, or wherever you are.
In 2022 Tire Rack was acquired by Discount Tire, a private family-owned company based in Scottsdale, Ariz. with 1,200-plus retail locations across 41 states. Tire Rack continues to operate independently, and this new combination provides opportunities to pair Tire Rack’s online presence with Discount Tire’s expansive service location footprint, creating a unique and exceptional purchase-to-installation experience.
About Drive Clean Indiana
Drive Clean Indiana is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization managed by Legacy Environmental Services, Inc., an Indiana Certified Women’s Business Enterprise, and serves the entire state of Indiana. Designated as the 71st Clean Cities and Communities coalition on June 15, 1999, Drive Clean Indiana is one of the U.S. Department of Energy’s more than 75 Clean Cities and Communities coalitions and is the only Clean Cities and Communities coalition throughout the state of Indiana. The organization supports our nation’s energy and economic security by building partnerships to advance affordable domestic transportation fuels, energy-efficient mobility systems, and other fuel-saving technologies and practices. Learn more at www.drivecleanindiana.org.
About MACOG
The Michiana Area Council of Governments (MACOG) is a voluntary organization of local governments that studies and attempts to resolve, for the benefit of each member and the region, areas of interlocal issues, which includes but is not limited to transportation, transit, economic development, environment, and other issues that impact the region.
About Indiana Green Fleet Program
Drive Clean Indiana manages the Indiana Green Fleet program for our metropolitan planning organizations, including the Michiana Area Council of Governments (MACOG) and the Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission (NIRPC). The goal of the program is to significantly improve the environmental performance of business and government vehicle fleets across each respective MPO’s territory through diesel retrofits and other strategies. Drive Clean Indiana works with and guides these fleets to help mitigate barriers preventing the adoption of alternative fuels and advanced technology vehicles while creating policies supporting petroleum and vehicle-emission reductions.