OMSS First to Deploy Electric Class 8 Truck to Port of Oakland

2026-01-26T14:20:37-06:00June 26, 2018|Port Operations|

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": "" } }

Sonwil Deploys Orange EV Electric Yard Truck to Buffalo NY Distribution Center

2026-01-26T12:08:39-06:00February 7, 2018|Warehouse & Distribution|

KANSAS CITY, MO and BUFFALO, NY, February 7, 2018 - , today announced the 2017 deployment of Orange EV’s T-Series pure-electric terminal truck to Sonwil’s 300,000 square foot warehouse and distribution center in Buffalo, New York. Replacing diesel with an Orange EV electric yard truck further delivers on Sonwil’s commitment to their customers to provide solutions that increase efficiency, reduce costs, and help achieve sustainability goals. “Sonwil’s philosophy is simple,” said Dave Harper, President of (ITS), Sonwil’s transportation arm. “We put the customer first, continually working to add value, meet the customer’s evolving needs, and strengthen their competitive advantage.” For example, to increase efficiency and sustainability, ITS has worked with key industry partners to design custom trailers, both dry and refrigerated, to haul increased loads. The specialized dry trailers carry over 55% more per load resulting in fewer trips, significantly lower costs, and smaller carbon footprint. “We like to operate on the leading-edge with clean technologies,” continued Harper. “Sonwil was one of the first thousand orders for Class 8 12-liter CNG tractors, and now we’re moving into Class 8 electric. The Orange EV truck is a good fit with our mission, . And compared to the steep learning curve with CNG, the electric yard horse was easy – just plug it in.” . Diesel yard trucks are costly to operate due to fuel expense, maintenance, and emission control requirements; they also pose risks to employee health and safety. Fumes, heat, and dust are a few of Sonwil’s biggest challenges with diesel. Owen Owens, lead has been great. We still have a diesel yard horse here but I prefer the electric, and so do other drivers. It’s a lot quieter and you don’t have exhaust gas emissions. Summer will be great since we won’t be sitting on top of the engine cooking. Plus, we operate on a dirt lot and the diesel kicks up the dust and sucks it into the cab. With the electric, there’s no dust.” The Orange EV truck also performed well in the cold, working through a bitter January with back-to-back days of below-zero temperatures and wind chill of 30+ below. Orange EV’s electric terminal trucks (aka yard trucks, horses, spotters, hostlers, etc.) operate in all segments of the container-handling market including ports, rail intermodal, manufacturing, distribution, parcel, waste transfer, LTL freight, third party logistics, and more. Understanding that each yard is physically and operationally unique, Orange EV delivers site-specific electric vehicle solutions backed by committed engineering and technical support. In early operations with their electric terminal truck, Sonwil faced a unique challenge with the truck/trailer connection. Said Harper, “From the beginning, Orange EV treated the issue with urgency. They were in constant communication, and working together we found a solution.” He concluded, “The Orange EV electric has reduced maintenance, , and we expect to see reduced costs. To other fleets considering electric, I’d say don’t be afraid to dive in – you will be rewarded.” A family-owned and operated logistics solutions firm, . Kansas City based . { "@context": "", "@type": "ImageObject", "contentUrl": "", "contentlocation": "United States", "url": "", "name": "Innovative Transportation Services (ITS) with their new Orange EV T-Series pure-electric terminal truck. From left: James Hotnich, Dispatch Manager; Owen Owens, Driver; and Dave Harper, President of ITS.", "description": "Innovative Transportation Services (ITS) with their new Orange EV T-Series pure-electric terminal truck. From left: James Hotnich, Dispatch Manager; Owen Owens, Driver; and Dave Harper, President of ITS.", "provider": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Orange EV", "url": "", "image": "" } }

California Fleets Buy New Electric Trucks for Less than New Tier 4 Diesels

2025-10-28T14:29:00-05:00January 3, 2017|Zero Emission Truck|

All of Orange EV’s on-road truck configurations are now approved under California’s HVIP incentive program KANSAS CITY, Mo., December 20, 2016 – Orange EV today announced that fleets in California can purchase a new T-Series pure electric terminal truck for less than the cost of a new Tier 4 diesel truck. With three new approvals, all of Orange EV’s on-road truck configurations are now eligible for the Hybrid and Zero-Emission Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Project (HVIP), a streamlined incentive program enabling large point-of-sale discounts. Public, private and federal fleets can utilize HVIP’s pre-approved voucher amounts to save up to [...]

New Class 8 Electric Truck Launched by Industry Leader

2025-10-10T15:06:38-05:00August 17, 2016|Electric Class 8 Truck|

With $10,000 Deposit Fleet Customers Lock In Pricing, Priority and Perks KANSAS CITY, Mo., August 16, 2016  –  Orange EV the leading OEM in electrification solutions for industrial fleets  today announced the firm is accepting orders for its all-new T-Series pure electric terminal truck.   Orange EV’s initial T-Series, a complete remanufacture of existing trucks, has been operating up to 24+ hours per charge at sites from single shift to 24×7 in: railroad intermodal, LTL freight, manufacturing, retail distribution, waste management and warehouse container handling.  By placing a $10,000 refundable deposit by YE 2016, fleets lock in price, production priority, and [...]

Orange EV Announces the T-Series Pure Electric Terminal Truck

2025-10-13T11:09:34-05:00April 21, 2014|Terminal Trucks|

KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI — Orange EV announced availability of the company’s T-Series pure electric terminal truck. A unique offering, Orange EV’s T-Series is functionally equivalent to current diesel terminal trucks but delivers far greater value. Operators have the power to haul the same load while spending 90% less in fuel and eliminating both diesel fuel and emissions. Orange EV manufactures pure electric terminal trucks customized to the customer’s operating environment. Starting with an existing truck Orange EV removes all the elements of the diesel power train (e.g. motor, transmission, supporting systems), installs all electric power train and control systems, and [...]

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