Orange EV is celebrating the ribbon-cutting of its new 440,000-square-foot headquarters and production facility in Kansas City, Kansas, where the company will manufacture its electric yard trucks.
Founded in 2012, Orange EV produced its first pure-electric yard trucks in a 2,000 sq ft facility, but the company ultimately outgrew this facility and needed to expand three times – first to 12,000 sq ft, then 52,000 sq ft, and now to 440,000 sq ft.
This new facility will allow Orange EV to produce more than 200 trucks per month, allowing it to keep pace with the increasing demand for electric trucks in various sectors throughout the US.
The company commercially deployed its first electric heavy-duty yard truck in 2015 and now has more than 1,000 heavy-duty electric trucks active in 36 states across the US.
Recent partners include:
- Commercial Trailer Leasing (CTL): Deployed e-yard trucks to food distribution customers throughout the US to save up to $90,000 per truck annually in fuel cost reduction, emission control elimination, and powertrain and brake maintenance costs.
- DHL Supply Chain: Purchased 50 e-yard trucks and plans to purchase an additional 50 trucks.
- Penske Truck Leasing: Deployed e-yard trucks that will be leased to truck yards, distribution centers, warehouses, and container terminals.
Electric yard trucks are known to present several benefits over traditional diesel options.
For instance, one diesel truck consumes an average of 8,000 gallons of fuel annually. By switching to an electric option, companies can experience an average savings of 90%.
Yard trucks also tend to stay onsite, making it convenient to charge during breaks – reducing fueling downtime and increasing operational efficiency.
Finally, electric trucks often feature regenerative braking, which reduces stopping distance and time by up to 50%, creating a safer environment for drivers.
“From the beginning, we set out to build a truck that was better in every way than diesel. As a result, our trucks average more than 98% uptime compared to 75% for comparable diesels,” said Kurt Neutgens, Orange EV Co-Founder and President. “Our zero-emission trucks are a win-win: the right thing for the plant and the right thing for the business bottom line.”
