As demand rises to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, an increasing number of businesses are rearranging their fleets to comply.
Reuters reported on Wednesday that global retail giant Walmart Inc would expand their transportation trials with manufacturers of electric, hydrogen, and natural gas-powered vehicles.
Walmart, the largest retailer in the world, revealed an ambitious ambition to achieve zero emissions by 2040 in 2020. The retailer’s overall objective includes utilizing 100 percent renewable energy to power its facilities by 2035, and eliminating all emissions from its fleet by 2040, including around 10,000 tractors and 80,000 trailers.
Walmart is not the only corporation striving to reduce emissions by adopting the expanding commercial EV market. Google, Apple, Amazon, and Target are also making progress.
Even if other players have made substantial progress in the transformation, Fernando Cortes, senior vice president of Walmart in the United States, cautioned that the store is still in the testing phase. “We are aware that there is no one approach to decarbonize our fleet,” he stated.
Amazon secured contracts with Rivian and its competitor Stellantis to purchase electric delivery trucks as part of its transition to an all-electric fleet.
Cummins Inc. and Daimler Trucks’ Freightliner are transportation expansion pilots for Walmart. The company announced that it will acquire an undefined quantity of new 15-liter natural gas-powered engines from Cummins in 2023, which will be used to power trucks.
Walmart also stated that it has a supply deal with Chevron Corporation. In addition, the global retailer wants to test battery-powered Freightliner eCascadia and Nikola Tre BEV trucks at one of its California distribution hubs this summer.
The market for commercial EVs is increasing rapidly. Volta Trucks, a Swedish startup, recently revealed its intention to launch a trial program in North America for consumer review. For the program, the manufacturer will deliver 100 totally electric vehicles, equivalent to existing 16-ton European trucks.
In 2020, Walmart Canada will reserve 130 Tesla Semi-trucks that have yet to be manufactured by the EV industry leader.
