In a unique collaboration Ferguson, North America’s largest distributor for plumbing and HVAC supplies, Holman (a global automobile services organization) and Electrada (a fuel solutions business), announce a pilot fleet electrification program. This pioneering effort provides complete fleet management and electrification solution that allows Ferguson to deploy heavy-duty all-electric vehicles in California. It also streamlines the development and maintenance of necessary infrastructure.
“This electrification project supports Ferguson’s overall corporate sustainability strategy to reduce our carbon footprint, and through our position in the value chain, help build a better world,” explained Denise Vaughn, Ferguson’s Vice President of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG). “Fleet emissions account for a sizable portion of our Scope 1 emissions and future reductions require an accelerated conversion from medium- and heavy-duty fleet to electric vehicles. Electrada’s comprehensive solution positions us to gain rich learnings from this program and expand with scale as technology progresses.”
Ferguson’s unique electrification program is in line with its overall corporate sustainability strategy. The company is committed to sustainable transportation as well as reducing its carbon footprint. This phase’s scope is illustrated by the integration of 30 all-electric Freightliner and Peterbilt class 6-8 delivery trucks into Ferguson’s fleet over the coming months. The charging infrastructure for five locations in California will be provided by Electrada.
Holman and Electrada’s strategic partnership is key to the electrification project. It allows North American fleet operators to accelerate, scale and seamlessly incorporate electric vehicles into their fleet mix. This collaboration with Ferguson is the first to leverage Holman and Electrada’s holistic electrification-as-a-service model, thus providing inclusive fleet management services along with electric fuel and infrastructure development, significantly streamlining fleet electrification and allowing organizations to scale their electrification programs expeditiously.
“With the electric vehicle segment evolving rapidly, discussions around integrating these units into the fleet mix have quickly moved past simply determining which model is the best fit. Today, stakeholders from across an organization – fleet, sustainability, operations, facilities, etc. – are all involved in the process,” said Emily Graham, Director of Sustainability, Holman. “As we approach potential electrification projects with our customers, it is a very consultative conversation, ensuring all the parties are aligned on the goals of the initiative. Throughout this collaborative effort with Ferguson, their intent was clear and it quickly became apparent that our partnership with Electrada could help them accelerate their goals.”
Together, Holman and Electrada offer fleet operators a comprehensive, fully capitalized (vehicle and charging infrastructure) fleet management and performance-guaranteed electrification solution that allows organizations to simplify their transition to electric vehicles. This unique approach to fleet electrification provides a predictably priced contract that eliminates the significant upfront capital investment and long-term energy cost risks that often prevent organizations from adopting a robust EV program.
“Electrada couldn’t be more thrilled to work with a company as forward-thinking about sustainable transportation as Ferguson. We’re making a long-term program investment commitment, providing and operating all of the infrastructures while eliminating the fuel price and operational risk of Ferguson’s historic fleet transformation effort because that’s the core of what we do, that’s the essence of 360 Charging-as-a-Service,” said Kevin Kushman, CEO, Electrada. “We developed a deep understanding of Ferguson’s electrification needs based on their location-specific, real-world use cases. The solution not only provides the reliable electric fuel infrastructure that Ferguson needs to successfully accomplish their fleet electrification goals but will also reduce fuel cost per mile from day one versus fossil fuel.”
Construction of the depot-charging infrastructure is underway and Ferguson anticipates taking delivery of the initial all-electric trucks before the end of the year.