First all-electric reefer fleet rolls out in Canada

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Electric refrigerated Ford Transit Canada Goodfood Lightning eMotors
Lightning eMotors converted Ford Transit 350HD vans into Canada's first all-electric, refrigerated fleet.
Lightning eMotors

Canadians will be enjoying their first zero-emission food deliveries in a refrigerated van this holiday season thanks to Goodfood Market Corp. and U.S. based Lighting eMotors.

Lightning eMotors in Loveland, Colo. recently rolled out ten all-electric cargo reefer vans to Montreal-based Goodfood Market, a leading online grocery company that delivers fresh meals and groceries to customers across Canada.

The converted Ford Transit 350HD vans make up the first all-electric refrigerated fleet in Canada.

“We are excited about partnering with Goodfood to help better serve their grocery delivery customers, save on operational costs, and reduce emissions as they set the bar for a sustainable future in Canada,” Tim Reeser, CEO of Lightning eMotors said.

“While this is our first customer in Canada, we see tremendous potential for growth as demand for last-mile delivery continues to increase and through the many other electric commercial vehicles we offer,” Reeser continued.

Lightning eMotors electrified the Transit 350HD cargo vans for Goodfood by installing an all-electric powertrain, electrical infrastructure and control software to support the vehicle. Each of the refrigerated EVs deployed by Goodfood has an estimated range of 120 miles on a full charge of its 86 kWh battery pack, regenerative braking for improved efficiency, and can top out at 75 miles per hour.

Supported by a supplier and integration partnership with Volta Air, the electrified fleet also features a dedicated, 12-volt battery-powered refrigeration system to optimize delivery range in support of Goodfood’s same-day/last-mile delivery operations. These units have a cooling capacity down to -15 degrees C (+5 degrees F).

 “We knew right away Lightning eMotors was the right partner to develop vehicles to help us meet our specific needs and support our larger payloads,” said Goodfood President and COO Neil Cuggy. “As market leaders in our respective industries, Goodfood and Lightning share a vision of challenging the status quo.

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“This partnership allowed us to leap ahead in support of Canada’s shift to all zero-emissions electric vehicles by 2035,” Cuggy continued. “Our drivers have already told us that this fleet of delivery vans are great to drive and are meeting our customer needs. Based on this early feedback, we are looking forward to the possibility of expanding this fleet in the near future.”

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The following survey was sent as a link in an email cover message in February 2023 to the newsletter lists for Overdrive and CCJ. After approximately two weeks, a total of 176 owner-operators under their own authority, 113 owner-operators leased or assigned to a carrier and 82 fleet executives and 36 fleet employees from fleets with 10 or more power units had completed and submitted the questionnaire for a total of 407 qualified responses. Cross-tabulations based on respondent type are provided for each question when applicable.
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