EVs have made their debut on the commercial scene — and heavy-duty EV fleets are a major part of that action. As more DC fast charging facilities spring up around the nation, more companies are deploying heavy-duty electric vehicles in their fleets. Let’s explore 10 of the companies paving the way in heavy-duty EV fleets and the challenges they face along the way.
The Challenges Facing Heavy-Duty EV Fleet Deployments
Smaller EVs have played a key role in last-mile commercial applications in areas with adequate EV charging facilities for several years. However, several challenges have limited fleets from replacing their heavy-duty diesel vehicles with electric versions. These challenges include:
A Higher Initial Investment
It’s not only the heavy-duty trucks and buses themselves that come at a “much higher” cost than their diesel counterparts, as a Resources for the Future white paper points out. It’s the infrastructure that comes with those vehicles.
Since most fleet vehicles have tight schedules they need to adhere to, DC fast charging stations are a must for heavy-duty EVs. However, the cost of installing a DC fast charging station can run upward of $100,000. And since fast chargers are still a relative rarity except along America’s most traveled highways, it can pose a challenge to fleet electrification.
Although maintenance costs for EVs are lower than those for diesel vehicles, it still requires some retraining for fleet mechanics to service heavy-duty electric vehicles. That training, too, factors into deployment costs.
Operational Challenges
Heavy-duty electric vehicles have a much shorter range than the average 1,000-mile range diesel vehicles can travel. Even the heavy-duty EV with the longest range — the Tesla Semi — can only travel 500 miles on a single charge.
Hence, US truck stops need to meet the need for more DC fast chargers along long-distance trucking routes. Additionally, local grids must rise to the occasion to fortify their infrastructure to accommodate the small but rising number of medium- and heavy-duty EVs nationwide.
Additionally, fleet companies need to formulate long-range plans to deploy scalable charging infrastructure for their new electric vehicles. As Jason Morgan pointed out in a Fleet Equipment post, scalability must be a top consideration. Planning steady fleet growth requires a plan to expand the infrastructure that can support a growing fleet of heavy-duty EVs.
The Light on the Horizon
While nationwide heavy-duty fleet electrification remains a slow process, some industry developments could ease the burden on fleet companies. First, the rise of mobile charging and charging-as-a-service can meet fleets’ fueling needs without the massive cost of installing charging infrastructure at the depot.
Secondly, new fueling technologies have burst onto the scene that could level the playing field for heavy-duty EVs, as the Resources for the Future piece points out. Hydrogen fuel cell technology, for instance, can provide the environmental benefits of all-electric vehicles without the long fueling times that heavy-duty EVs require.
Finally, fleets that do choose to install charging infrastructure in their depots can recoup part of their costs by choosing vehicle-to-grid (V2G)-capable vehicles and chargers. With that capability, the vehicles’ batteries can feed back some of their energy back into the grid during down times to earn passive revenue for the fleet.
Leading Heavy-Duty EV Fleet Companies Stepping Up to the Challenges
A growing number of fleets have put the old maxim “No risk, no reward” into action to step up to and conquer some of the issues that make full-fleet electrification such a challenge. These leading heavy-duty EV fleet companies include these innovative organizations:
1. 4 Gen Logistics
While California-based 4 Gen Logistics may not be one of the largest trucking companies on the road, its ambitions could take it there someday. As Heavy Duty Trucking’s Deborah Lockridge shows, the company pushed through multiple roadblocks, including charging infrastructure installation and vehicle delivery delays, to earn its customers’ loyalty.
Instead of complaining when the political winds didn’t blow the way the fleet envisioned, its leadership team got to work on a new marketing angle. Instead of touting lower rates, they instead emphasized its zero-emissions footprint.
That move drew several customers to their company. Attracted by 4 Gen Logistics’ “ability to deliver their loads from the ports to their distribution centers with a ZEV,” the new customers appreciated the company’s green approach to the trucking industry.
As well they should. That goes double for companies who need to ship livestock or haul passengers to their destinations. Not only do heavy-duty electric vehicles provide a healthier environment for their drivers and the communities they drive through, but they also improve their passengers’ health.
That strategy has paid off in spades. The company has grown its heavy-duty EV fleet to 79 Class 8 vehicles, including 64 battery-powered and 15 fuel cell-powered vehicles.
4 Gen has also completed Phase 1 of its charging infrastructure project. As Lockridge reports, it now has 14 350 kW dispensers in its Rialto depot and 30 in its Long Beach facility. If all goes according to plan, the company will complete Phase 2, doubling its charging capacity.
2. PITT OHIO
On the other side of the country, Pennsylvania’s PITT OHIO unveiled its new EV charging facilities in late 2025. The transportation company’s electrification project began a year earlier with its purchase of several Class 7 Mack MD box trucks, each of which could travel 230 miles on a single charge. In addition to the Class 7 box trucks, the company also added a Class 8 eCascadia Freightliner to its fleet.
To support these additions, the charging infrastructure at PITT OHIO’s Harrisburg facility features “state-of-the-art charging units,” as well as a backup generator with fuel reserves enough to keep operations running for 24 hours during outages. In addition, PITT OHIO added wind turbine and solar microgrids at several other locations to supplement its energy supply during outages.
Most impressive, though, was the seamless transition of its facility to accommodate its electric fleet vehicles.
A long-term vision guided PITT-OHIO’s transition team of electricians and engineers as they designed, deployed, and refined the supporting infrastructure. That long-term outlook enabled the legacy trucking company to carry out its regular operations “without missing a beat.”
3. PepsiCo
With 500 miles on a single charge, Tesla Semis are the workhorses of the heavy-duty EV world. So, it’s no wonder that the world’s most prominent companies are now lining up to deploy these trucks in their commercial fleets.
PepsiCo led the way, placing the first orders for these trucks for a pilot project to see whether the company could realistically achieve its goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2040. Other companies, including Martin Brower, Sysco, and Walmart, have followed suit.
That bold leadership has paid off. Since launching its electric semi fleet in 2023, the company has grown its Fresno-based fleet to 50 semis.
Even better, PepsiCo looks to save up to $1 million in fuel costs, thanks to its partnership with local utility Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E). Taking advantage of the utility’s Flex Connect program, the beverage company can now access daytime charging, expanding its charging time from overnight to all day long, saving money in the process.
In addition, PG&E increased PepsiCo’s charging capacity from 3 to 4.5 megawatts. This increase enabled PepsiCo to charge its entire 50-truck Fresno fleet in a mere hour.
That’s just PepsiCo’s Fresno facility. Nationwide, the company’s electric fleet includes 1,500 EV fleet vehicles of various sizes.
4. Schneider National
Less than one year after adopting EVs into its commercial heavy-duty fleet, Schneider National passed the 1-million-mile zero emissions mark late in 2023. With around 100 BEV eCascadia semi-trucks, Schneider National is a major player in the nation’s move toward sustainable transportation.
Not only is Schneider the hauler of choice for many national brands, including Frito-Lay and Goodyear, but it’s also making its drivers happy with its move toward electrification. In a January 2024 Washington Post interview, Schneider driver Marty Boots praised the EV’s “lightness and smoothness,” likening the truck’s handling ability to a ballet dancer’s agility.
Although the eCascadias lack the massive range of the Tesla Semi, it can charge up to 80% in 90 minutes. With the trucks’ 220-mile range, drivers will take more breaks, making them more likely to avoid driver fatigue — a significant factor in accidents according to the OSHA employee safety standards.
Schneider’s investment in heavy-duty EVs paid off at the end of 2024 with its history-making achievement: becoming the “first major carrier” to travel 6 million pounds of CO2. That milestone translates to taking 2,100 internal combustion-powered cars off the road for a year, as Lockridge observes.
By April 2025, the company had already reached 90% of its goal to cut emissions by 7.5%. If it continues at that rate, its fleet should reach net zero emissions by 2035.
5. Amazon
One of the first adopters of EVs for final-mile delivery, Amazon just rolled out its heavy-duty EV fleet in early 2024. The company plans to deploy 50 of the semis in Southern California to handle its first-mile freight transportation from ocean ports to the next steps in the shipments’ journey.
If all goes well — and it should — Amazon plans to use the heavy-duty EVs for their middle-mile operations as well, taking on cargo from first-mile vehicles to transport it to fulfillment centers, sort centers, delivery stations, and air facilities located further inland. Amazon’s Volvo semis have a 275-mile range and weigh 82,000 pounds in total. With the EVs’ leading-edge safety features, ergonomic interior, and lower noise levels, they should prove safer on the road than their diesel predecessors.
In early 2025, the company broke its own record, placing the largest order of EVs ever, according to EV Magazine. That buy indicates that its initial 2024 deployment of heavy-duty electric trucks was indeed a success.
6. Coca-Cola
Not to let PepsiCo grab a foothold in leveraging EVs’ efficiency and economy in the beverage industry, Coca-Cola countered Pepsi’s Tesla Semi buy with a heavy-duty EV order of their own — for 20 eCascadia Freightliners, delivered to Coke’s bottling and distribution facility in Downey, California.
The company plans to use the EV semis for short-haul applications, such as last-mile delivery, food and beverage supply trucks, regional distribution, and local drayage. It estimates these trucks will reduce the facility’s diesel fuel consumption by nearly 40,000 gallons. At today’s diesel prices, these EV semis will save the company around $154,000 in fuel costs alone, not to mention maintenance.
7. Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA)
Early in 2025, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority rolled out four EV buses to test out on its roads. Instead of simply deploying the buses, the agency wisely decided to make sure that the buses could handle the greater Boston cold, varying road conditions, and a full load of passengers before placing them in their regular rotation.
In addition to testing the buses’ abilities to carry out their task, the rollout also helped bus drivers and mechanics acclimate themselves to the electric buses’ maintenance and driving requirements. One of the most critical features drivers must adjust to is the new collision avoidance system, an array of sensors that can detect nearby vehicles and pedestrians.
Even better, the vehicles will reduce maintenance expenses. The current diesel-powered fleet’s buses have put a strain on the agency’s budget.
8. Penske
Vehicle leasing giant Penske began electrifying its heavy-duty fleet late in 2022 when it took delivery of its first all-electric eCascadia semi-trucks. This acquisition only added to its already-existing fleet of smaller commercial vehicles.
With a 230-mile long-range capability and a 155-mile standard range, drivers will need to stop for a 90-minute break to recharge to 80% every three hours or so. Again, this is more of a feature than a bug, given OSHA’s employee safety standards. Safer drivers mean fewer insurance claims and, therefore, reduced operational costs.
9. New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA)
Unlike many American communities whose school districts plan which buses to purchase, New York State has decided to take on the task itself. Citing the pollutants that give rise to asthma and other respiratory illnesses, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) plans to transition the entire state’s school bus fleets to electric vehicles.
If all goes according to plan, the state’s school buses will be 100% zero-emissions vehicles by 2035. Most of those vehicles will be standard-sized school buses, heavy-duty EVs. The state plans to provide school districts with the funds to convert their fleets and ensure that students will have safer transportation for years to come.
10. DHL
In December 2023, DHL, an international player in the logistics industry, introduced two EV semis into its California-based fleet. As part of the company’s commitment to have 30% of its North American fleet converted to zero-emission vehicles by 2030, the move is only the first step in the process.
Unlike many other logistics companies, DHL plans to upgrade its EV operations in flyover country with 11 more heavy-duty EVs to deploy in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina, as well as more trucks for its California fleet. With the vehicles’ 250-mile range and half the energy consumption of its diesel trucks, the buy should prove to be a money-saver for the company as well as making it more eco-friendly.
DHL also plans to add longer-range 18-wheelers to its fleet. To that end, it partnered with Tesla to stock its fleet with heavy-duty EVs that can double their 250-mile electric semis’ range.
The new trucks can accelerate from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 20 seconds, enabling them to pass safely with ease. After a period of testing in early 2025, the new trucks are ready to roll out on the road.
Take the Next Step Toward Heavy-Duty Sustainability
Leading the industry in heavy-duty EV deployment depends on your company’s ability to provide adequate charging infrastructure for your fleet. As an NREL post shows, even more efficient charging technology is on the way.
Putting onsite sustainable energy resources to work and creating alternative power sources for heavy trucks can help more companies see the benefits of using EV technology to power even the heaviest vehicles in their fleets. But if your company’s leadership never sees how such technology is possible, they’ll not be able to realize those benefits.
So, invite your company executives to attend the next EV Charging Summit & Expo. There, they can network with the finest minds in the EV charging and manufacturing industry. As a result, they’ll come away with greater EV knowledge and be more likely to consider switching at least part of their heavy-duty fleets to EVs. Encourage your leadership team to register today!
