FedEx Corp, a leading transportation, e-commerce and business service provider is targeting to improve its vehicle fuel efficiency by 50 percent by 2025 for which it has been working towards using clean transportation. To further accelerate the initiative the company has announced that started construction on electronic DC (direct current) charging stations back in January 2020.

Through an agreement with Chanje Energy, the company plans to electrify 42 FedEx stations in California, making it one of the largest deployments of integrated charging infrastructure by a single commercial fleet to date.

FedEx had announced the addition of 1,000 Chanje V8100 electric delivery vehicles to its fleet last November. The company is also 100 EVs from Chanje Energy. and leasing 900 from Ryder System.

Mitch Jackson, chief sustainability officer, FedEx Corp said: “FedEx is thrilled to continue being a pioneering industry leader in the electric vehicle space. 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.”

The DC charging system is said to be designed specifically for FedEx, and the project will support daily charging for more than 1,000 electric vehicles, which are leased to FedEx. The highlight of the charging station include:

• Higher maximum power output than standard Level 2 chargers
• Variable rate technology allowing FedEx to proactively adjust charging speed or shift energy usage away from peak hours to minimise electric utility bills
• DC charging hardware is said to be 10 percent more efficient than AC charging
• Software platform for remote monitoring and real-time charger controls

Chanje Energy is expected to begin production of the EVs later this year. The vehicles are manufactured by FDG Electric Vehicles in Hangzhou, China, and purchased through Chanje Energy, the company’s subsidiary for global business. They will be delivered on a rolling basis over the next year. Ryder System will also provide maintenance and distribution support services for all of the vehicles.

FedEx says it has been using all-electric vehicles as part of its pickup-and-delivery fleet since 2009. The company believes that wider adoption of alternative-fuel, electric and hybrid electric vehicles in transportation will play a key role in reducing global emissions, while diversifying and expanding renewable energy solutions.