Northern California Agricultural center taking in Electric trucks for city work
The hometown of legendary writer John Steinbeck is beginning to embrace e-mobility within its municipal fleet.
Automobile company Phoenix Motorcars has completed an order from the city of Salinas in California for three all-electric, zero-emission medium-duty trucks. Salinas is the seat of Monterey County.
The order consisted of one flatbed and two cargo trucks, accompanied by three Level III charging stations, the California-based company says.
The medium-duty trucks delivered by Phoenix have a driving range of up to 110 miles and can be fully charged within two to three hours using a 50-kW Level III charger.
Compared to their fossil-fuel-powered counterparts, the Phoenix vehicles can cut atmospheric emissions by about 61 tons, while reducing maintenance costs by 75 percent and fuel costs by 80 percent annually, the company notes.
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Salinas is home to numerous farming and agtech companies. One of its nicknames is “salad bowl of the world.”
“Agriculture is the foundation of our local economy, so the air quality and climate in our community matter,” said Salinas Mayor Kimbley Craig. “Replacing three large fleet vehicles helps protect our environment and also significantly reduces operational and maintenance costs. Climate resiliency and environmental sustainability are part of the core values of our council and improve the quality of life for our residents.”
The trucks delivered to the city of Salinas were partly funded by the Monterey Bay Air Resources District Clean Air Management Program and the Hybrid and Zero-Emission Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Project program.
“Since our founding 20 years ago, Phoenix has been committed to sustainable vehicle technology and a clean energy future,” Lance Zhou, CEO of Phoenix Motorcars, stated. “We are pleased to help the Monterey Bay Air Resources District Clean Air Management Program in its efforts and deliver emission and cost savings to the city of Salinas.”
Based in Anaheim, California, Phoenix Motorcars designs, builds, and integrates electric drive systems and light- and medium-duty EVs and sells electric forklifts and electric vehicle chargers for the commercial and residential markets.
