CarMax continues its green journey with first all-electric hauler truck
Used-car retailing giant CarMax has begun a pilot test of its first all-electric semi-truck as a vehicle hauler in California’s San Joaquin Valley.
The truck can travel an estimated 230 miles on a single charge and transport up to seven vehicles at one time, which CarMax said allows it to efficiently service its stores in the region.
The company’s Stockton, Calif., store, which has a Level 3 charging station to provide fast charging for the truck, will serve as the region’s hub.
CarMax said its real-world-conditions test replacing a diesel semi-truck with a zero-emission vehicle will help it make decisions about expanding to more electric trucks in the future.
The test also supports the company’s efforts to reduce its environmental impact and is a step toward its commitments to achieve a 50% reduction from its 2018 baseline in greenhouse gas emissions by 2025 and its goal of net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
“We’re excited to test the efficiencies of the all-electric semi-truck within our transportation fleet and see how this vehicle can support our overall sustainability efforts,” CarMax vice president of logistics Matt Aman said.
The Freightliner eCascadia all-electric semi is being leased from Penske Truck Leasing and is the first to be leased by Penske as a vehicle hauler.
Aman said CarMax is committed to working with “industry innovators like Penske” to incorporate technologies to help reduce the company’s carbon footprint.
“Collaborating with forward-thinking customers like CarMax to use electric trucks within their vehicle delivery operations is important to advancing sustainability in the transportation industry,” said Patrick Watt, vice president of alternative vehicle and emerging technologies for Penske Truck Leasing.
CarMax said it has made progress toward its green goals, citing a total emissions reduction of more than 10% in 2022. The company has retrofitted stores with LED lighting and increased its use of renewable electricity from wind, solar and biogas to improve its electricity use efficiency.
In October, CarMax was ranked 13th on the EPA’s Green Power Partnership Top 30 Retail list with 36% of the company’s total electricity use coming from green power sources.