Sysco Corp. envisions Riverside Electric Vehicle Hub

Giant foodservice distributor Sysco Corp., has announced plans for a Riverside Electric Vehicle Hub in California.

It is described in a company statement as a “foundational step” in moving toward Sysco’s goal to reduce its direct operational emissions by 27.5% and add 2,800 electric trucks to its U.S. fleet by 2030.

Sysco already operates 11 Freightliner battery electric eCascadia tractors at its Riverside facility. Twenty charging stations have already been installed. The company expects to deploy 20 battery electric vehicles total by summer 2023.

Working with heavy-duty truck manufacturer Daimler Truck North America, Sysco last year announced plans to deploy up to 800 battery-electric Freightliner eCascadia trucks by 2026.

Once completed, the planned electric vehicle infrastructure at the facility is expected to have these items:

• 40 dual port DC fast-charging stations
• 40 electric, Class-8 trucks.
• 40 electric refrigerated trailers.

To accommodate the energy demands of the company’s fleet, the Riverside site also is expected to have 4 megawatts of battery storage and increase its solar power generation by an additional 1.5 megawatts.

Sysco Corp. announced in May 2021 its intent to deploy nearly 800 battery electric Freightliner eCascadia Class 8 tractors by 2026.

Sysco’s Riverside distribution facility began operation in 2013. It serves 4,000 customers a year.

Collaborative effort

“This is a massive collaborative effort that has required years of planning. We’re grateful to our many partners on this journey for their vision, innovation and leadership in bringing the transportation and infrastructure technology to market to support this project,” Marie Robinson, Sysco Corp.’s chief supply chain officer, said in the news release.

ConMet and ConMet eMobility are providing technology for electrifying refrigerated trailers required for Sysco to deliver food safely and efficiently. The wheel axles are equipped with charging capability that operate when the trailer is in motion.

“The commitment shown by Sysco with this facility is a prelude to a more sustainable future for foodservice delivery. We’re honored to have the ConMet eHub in-wheel motor system on Sysco trailers,” said Marc Trahand, vice president and general manager of ConMet’s eMobility division, said in the news release. “By generating electrical energy to power electric (transport refrigeration units), trailer temperatures are sustained for food safety purposes, whilst providing large diesel savings to the fleet and significant emission reductions for the local community.”

InCharge Energy and ABB E-mobility are supplying and preparing to activate 40 Terra 124 DC fast chargers, which have been tested for vehicle interoperability and reliability. The charging stations are expected to facilitate quick and timely charging of all vehicles daily.

Other partners

Sysco Corp.’s Riverside Electric Vehicle Hub project also is supported through these partnerships:

• Black & Veatch, the engineer of record and system integrator providing comprehensive design, engineering, permitting, procurement and construction management.
• Carrier Transicold North America, which is supporting Sysco’s electric vehicle program with its Vector eCool refrigerated trailer system, which creates its own power using energy recovery and storage from ConMet to run the all-electric trailer refrigeration unit.
• GNA, a clean transportation consulting firm that spearheaded efforts to secure vehicle and infrastructure incentives for electric vehicles, infrastructure and chargers, the photovoltaic solar system, and the battery energy storage system.
• Stem, which is providing artificial intelligence-driven clean energy management platform, Athena, a key technology integrating the charging infrastructure, to optimize onsite energy assets, including solar and energy storage and enabling resilience and efficiency.
• Vanguard, which is supporting Sysco’s electric vehicle program with its thermal efficient multiple-temperature refrigerated trailer.
• W&B Service Co., which is providing Carrier Transicold refrigeration equipment and support for Sysco’s electric vehicle initiatives.
• Bp pulse, which is providing charge management software, Omega, to optimize charging for low-cost energy while ensuring critical fleet uptime.

Community partners include California Air Resources Board, California Energy Commission, Southern California Association of Governments, and Mobile Source Air Pollution Reduction Review Committee.

About Sysco, ConMet and Carrier Transicold

Houston-based Sysco Corp., founded in 1969, markets and distributes food products, kitchen equipment and tabletop items to restaurants, healthcare and educational institutions. The company operates 333 distribution facilities worldwide and serves about 700,000 customer locations.

Founded in 1964, Vancouver, Wash.-based ConMet, a division of Amsted Industries, is a global supplier of wheel hubs, aluminum castings, and structural plastics to original equipment manufacturers and aftermarket channels in the commercial vehicle industry.

Farmington, Conn.-based Carrier Transicold was founded in 1915. It offers a complete line of equipment and services for refrigerated transport and cold chain visibility. LL

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