Fed Ex has just announced the second stage of its DC charging infrastructure that was launched last month. The US-American company plans to electrify 42 FedEx stations in California through an agreement with Chanje Energy, a California-based and China-backed startup founded in 2015.
The DC charging system was designed specifically for FedEx and will support daily charging for more than 1,000 electric vehicles. FedEx is purchasing 100 of the vehicles from Chanje Energy and leasing 900 from Ryder System. This latest agreement between Chanje and FedEx will provide the infrastructure to support the continued rollout of the FedEx electric vehicle fleet.
The charging system being deployed includes higher maximum power output than standard Level 2 chargers, variable rate technology so that FedEx can adjust charging speeds or shift energy usage in peak hours to minimise costs. The system features the afore-mentioned DC charging hardware, and a software platform for remote monitoring and real-time charger controls.
Mitch Jackson, chief sustainability officer at FedEx Corp said: “The vehicles and DC charging infrastructure will not only help FedEx meet our operational efficiency and sustainability goals but provide learning, scaling and experience to others in the vehicle electrification journey. We believe this will be a game-changer.”
Chanje will begin production of the electric logistics vehicles later this year, which will be manufactured by FDG Electric Vehicles in Hangzhou, China, the parent company of Chanje Energy. Ryder will be responsible for the maintenance and distribution support services for all of the electric vehicles. According to Chanje, the electrification of the 42 FedEx stations is one the largest deployments of integrated charging infrastructure by a single commercial fleet to date.
