GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Schneider National is showing off its new electric trucks.
The new zero-emission vehicles will be added to the fleet later this year.
Last year, Schneider announced the addition of 62 “Freightliner” electric trucks for their operations in Southern California. It’s part of an effort for the company to meet its sustainability goal of reducing 7.5% per-mile emissions by 2025 and 60% by 2035.
Schneider Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer Rob Reich tells FOX 11 the company is excited about the new vehicles, but it could be a while before they become a norm in Wisconsin.
“The funding is predominantly out in Southern California and down south. So, that’s a part of the equation because these trucks are much more expensive than a diesel truck.”
But there are other issues preventing the electric trucks from coming to the Midwest.
“More importantly, though, is the electric nature of the truck, and the big batteries that are on it. They don’t like cold weather yet,” explained Reich. “So, we’re gonna test these out west and down south. And it will probably be a few years before technology catches up and we see them in Wisconsin.”
Reich says the electric vehicles have received great feedback from drivers. He also said the trucks handle well, are very quiet and have better acceleration than a normal diesel truck.
