What’s Happening: Lightning eMotors, a top supplier of zero-emission commercial vehicles and electric vehicle (EV) technology, has announced that its customer, ACE Parking, has achieved over one million all-electric, zero-emission miles with its San Diego Airport fleet of ZEV4 and ZEV5 shuttle buses.
Why It Matters: This milestone demonstrates the viability and success of electric fleets, as well as their positive impact on the environment. It highlights the potential for broader adoption of electric vehicles in commercial settings, particularly in the transportation sector.
Key Points:
- Lightning eMotors supplied 16 Class 4 ZEV4 and 8 Class 5 ZEV5 electric shuttle buses to ACE Parking in 2020.
- The fleet has since transported over 1.5 million passengers, covering one million miles, and reducing CO2 emissions by more than 1,050 tons.
- The ZEV4 and ZEV5 electric shuttles have proven to be over 5x more efficient than similar gasoline-powered models, with the ZEV4 averaging 41.1 MPGe and the ZEV5 averaging 34.4 MPGe.
- Lightning eMotors’ Insights™ is an EV-specific telematics service that supports the fleet, providing real-time data on vehicle location, efficiency, charge status, and more.
- The company is now delivering the third generation of their ZEV4 shuttle bus, offering additional benefits such as fully contained batteries, redundant parking brake, and push-button shifting.
- ACE Parking’s fleet participated in the California Air Resources Board’s (CARB) Hybrid and Zero Emission Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Project (HVIP), which offers point-of-sale discounts for low- or zero-emission commercial vehicles. Over 11,000 clean vehicles have been put into operation across California thanks to the program.
Bottom Line: The success of ACE Parking’s San Diego Airport fleet of electric shuttle buses, backed by Lightning eMotors, showcases the potential for widespread electrification of commercial fleets. As the environmental benefits become increasingly evident, and with the support of incentive programs like CARB’s HVIP, the transition to electric vehicles in the transportation sector is expected to gain momentum.
