J.B. Hunt adds five electric trucks; first such vehicles in fleet

J.B. Hunt goes electric (Photo: J.B. Hunt)

Transport giant J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ: JBHT) said today it has added five of Daimler’s AG’s FUSO eCanter electric-powered medium-duty box trucks to its fleet, the first time the company has utilized electric vehicles.

Hunt, based in Lowell, Ark., said it will deploy the trucks in its final-mile division, and will use them for home deliveries in Santa Fe Springs, Calif. and in the greater Houston area. 

The vehicle has an 80-mile range on a full charge. Each vehicle has a 16-foot trailer, and each has a gross vehicle weight (tractor, trailer and cargo) of just under 16,000 pounds, Hunt said. Compared to a conventional diesel model, the vehicle’s operating costs for the eCanter can be up to $2,000 lower for each 12,000 miles driven, according to the company.

The vehicle is currently being used in six cities in Europe, Japan, and the U.S. UPS Inc. (NYSE:UPS) was the first transport carrier to deploy the truck in the U.S. DHL utilizes the vehicle in Germany. 

Hunt was one of the first companies to commit to Tesla’s semi-electric tractors, reserving 40 vehicles in November 2017.