Staples delivers with its first all-electric truck at AltWheels

Published October 13, 2009 by John Pardoe

At this year’s AltWheels, held at Staples World Headquarters in Framingham, MA, over 50 alternatively fueled vehicles were on display. They had everything from electric scooters to Class 6 heavy trucks using hybrid drive trains. This is the fifth year for the event and it has been growing bigger every year.

One of the major sponsors for the event is Staples. They are always looking for ways to reduce their environmental impact. They have a current line of note pads and note books made from 80% sugarcane waste, and they even installed solar panels on the roof tops of 24 sites with more under consideration.

Fleet Manager for Staples, Mike Payette, spoke about some of the measures he has taken to improve the fuel economy of Staples delivery vehicles which, until this year, were all diesel powered. A few of the modifications Mike has overseen with his time at Staples have saved thousand of gallons of fuel. A small, cost-effective modification of electronically limiting the top speed of all Staples fleet vehicles to 55 mph resulted in substantial fuel savings. The Staples fleet had experimented with a diesel hybrid delivery truck, but this year, they unveiled an all electric delivery vehicle. Built by Smith Electric Vehicles, this delivery truck will have no emissions and lower cost of fueling: $.12/mile vs. $.40+/mile.

Smith electric delivery vehicles are capable of carrying up to 16,060 lbs. and traveling up to 100+ miles on one charge. Using the latest in Lithium-Ion battery technology, and very few moving parts, these should make for some reliable delivery vehicles. The zero-30mph take off under load is actually better than most diesel delivery vehicles according to Smith.

You may be thinking 100 miles on one charge is not very far; that’s an average person’s trip to and from work. In the delivery business, driver’s routes from a distribution center are often less than 100 miles with lots of stops. For fleets that don’t need such massive trucks, Smith is working with Ford to have an all electric Ford Transit Connect, the boxy little delivery vehicle Ford recently launched which already offers good fuel economy.

The most noticeable difference to anyone who comes upon one of these Smith trucks is the lack of noise. If you ever sat next to a diesel Staples truck at a stop light before, you will be pleasantly surprised by the complete silence at a stop. Even at take off, there is not much more than the whirring of the electric motor, which is easily drowned out by the sound of traffic.

The Staples fleet will probably continue to use diesel vehicles for years to come, but they are eager to get the alternatives on the road today and are willing to pay a little extra right now to be green. As we see prices come down on battery technology and other alternatives, I’m sure we will be seeing more and more alternatively fueled delivery vehicles on the road.