electric avenue
Sometime in the not-too-distant future, you could
be walking down a city street when you suddenly
realize there’s something different about the delivery
truck that just whizzed past. A block or two later it
will hit you: The otherwise ordinary-looking vehicle
was virtually silent, and it emitted no foul-smelling exhaust.
Smith Electric Vehicles (SEV) U.S. Corp. is hoping that scenario will
soon become a common one. The joint venture of U.S. investors and a
European maker of electric-battery vehicles will soon begin production
of a quiet electric-battery commercial truck on this side of the Atlantic.
The vehicles will be the first zero-emissions commercial trucks in North
America, SEV says.
The company’s first U.S. model will be the Smith Newton, which has
been in use in Europe for more than three years. Described as the world’s
largest electric-battery–powered truck, the Newton boasts an on-board
battery charger, a range of 100-plus miles per charge, and a payload of
more than 16,000 pounds. Its top speed is 50 miles per hour. Meanwhile,
SEV’s U.K. partner, The Tanfield Group Plc, is working with Ford Motor
Co. to begin production of an electric-battery version of the Ford Transit
Connect light-duty van in 2010.
SEV will target companies that want an environmentally friendly way
to deliver parcels and larger shipments in urban areas. Several fleet operators reportedly have expressed strong interest in acquiring the trucks for
their fleets.
WhiteWave’s green DC
If you’re a producer of organic products, it stands to reason that you care
about the environment. That’s certainly true for White Wave Foods Co.,
maker of Horizon Organic milk products and Silk Soymilk. For the past
four years, the company has earned the U.S. government’s Green Power
Leader designation for its support of wind-generated electricity.
Now, the manufacturer is extending its environmental commitment
to its material handling operations by updating its distribution center
equipment to reduce energy consumption and cut down on battery use.
For help with that, White Wave turned to AeroVironment and Toyota
Material Handling U.S.A. The DC has added 28 Toyota electric-powered
lift trucks and replaced its conventional battery changing equipment
with 25 of AeroVironment’s PosiCharge fast battery chargers. The new
arrangement will extend the life of the electric vehicles’ batteries and
eliminate the need for more than 28 conventional batteries formerly
used for battery changing. That means fewer lead acid batteries will be
heading to local landfills, said WhiteWave Logistics Manager James
Ramsey. He added that the switch to fast charging has also reduced the
risk of lead acid spillage, which will enhance facility safety. “We are committed to making the environment in which our employees work safer
and more efficient, and this distribution center is an example of our
company’s commitment to responsible, sustainable business practices,”
Ramsey said.
inbound
look on the bright side
Peter Keller appears to be one of
those people who believe in turning lemons into lemonade. The
president of ocean carrier NYK
Line (NA) Inc. told the Denver
Transportation Club that despite
the current downturn in shipping
volumes (and rates), international
intermodal transportation has a
bright future—if carriers and service providers use the global recession as an occasion to rethink the
way they do business.
“An economic depression is the
time to review our transportation
processes; to remove old, marginally productive assets; and to consider how we can add more value to
the international supply chain by
reducing costs and increasing efficiencies,” said Keller, who serves on
the board of the Intermodal
Transportation Institute at the
University of Denver. He also called
on carriers to re-evaluate their
service models and focus on long-term trends rather than solely on
immediate problems.
When the global economy
revives, international trade will still
be critically important. But the
transportation landscape won’t
necessarily look the same as it does
now, Keller warned. The Panama
Canal expansion, scheduled for
completion in 2014, will affect
demand for shipping services, he
predicted. Furthermore, today’s
economic upheaval may well cause
populations to relocate as industries evolve, consumer demand
picks up, employment returns, and
freight begins to flow again. If the
transportation industry prepares
wisely for continued globalization
and is receptive to change, it
undoubtedly will prosper in the
long run, he concluded.
