UPS, the world's largest express carrier and package delivery company, today announced that it has partnered with Los Angeles-based startup Thor Trucks to develop and deploy medium-sized electric transport trucks. It is expected that the trucks will be available later this year. , UPS did not disclose more detailed information.
Despite the limited number of electric trucks that Thor Trucks will release, the actual cruising range of the trucks is still good. Thor's electric trucks are expected to reach a range of around 100 miles (161 km). Thor will also develop and manufacture batteries. The cruising range of the truck will also focus on the logistics delivery of the urban road environment.
UPS will test the electric truck for six months, researching reliability, durability, battery capacity and fleet integration capabilities. The test will be conducted in and around the Los Angeles area. If everything goes as planned, UPS said that the number of trucks it buys will exceed expectations.
UPS is working with a variety of companies to develop alternative energy-driven vehicles. It has partnered with the Workhorse Group to deploy 50 plug-in hybrid trucks, and UPS expects the product to be 400% more fuel efficient than other fleets. The home logistics giant also announced the ordering of 125 Tesla electric semi-trailers in December last year, which is the company's largest truck order to date.