Ecolab partners with Ford Pro to accelerate EV adoption
Ford Pro will collaborate with global sustainability leaders Ecolab to speed up the electrification of its vehicle fleet, with a goal of transitioning to a 100% fully electric commercial fleet by 2030.
Ecolab has worked with Ford to reduce and reuse water in Ford’s manufacturing plants since 1925, and the two companies’ joint release celebrates that nearly century of collaboration.
Ecolab’s journey towards 100% fleet electrification will begin in California with the conversion of its sales and service fleet to EVs. A switch that should be complete by 2025. To that end, Ecolab will purchase and deploy more than 1,000 Ford F-150 Lightning Pro trucks and Mustang Mach-E crossovers, creating what is anticipated to be the largest all-electric commercial vehicle fleet in California.
“Ecolab’s history is rich with collaboration between like-minded companies committed to sustainable business growth,” said Christophe Beck, chairman and CEO of Ecolab. “Ford and Ecolab have worked together for nearly a century, most recently to help conserve water and energy while improving business performance.This next phase of our relationship will help us move quickly and at scalewith the goal of improving profits through renewable energy and EV solutions for the betterment of our employees, business, and the environment.”
Major business and environmental benefits
In going electric, Ecolab estimates that it can lower overall costs, with internal financial models forecasting a lower total cost of ownership over the life of the vehicles compared to ICE vehicles. Ecolab can potentially save roughly 50% in annual fuel costs per 2023 F-150 Lightning Pro truck, a savings of approximately $1,400 in fuel per vehicle each year. Once vehicles are deployed, Ecolab plans to use Ford Pro productivity software and service solutions to manage and maintain its California fleet.
Ford Pro productivity software and service solutions have been shown to help optimize fleet operations. In a Ford Pro survey of Sonoma County Winegrowers, respondents estimated that, on average, they could reduce their idling hours by 49%, their time spent tracking maintenance schedules by 37% and their time spent tracking fuel usage by 58% with a solution like Ford Pro Telematics. In the same survey, Sonoma County Winegrowers estimated they could reduce their service downtime by about 20% using Mobile Service.
Official ford/ecolab press release
Ford Pro’s full suite of charging and telematics software will enable Ecolab’s fleet managers to maximize vehicle performance and fleet productivity while monitoring each vehicle battery’s state of charge and collecting data that can be analyzed for further efficiency gains down the road.
Ecolab is calling its move to EVs a crucial step in the company’s efforts to achieve net-zero emissions globally by 2050.
Electrek’s Take
Ford dealers have been complaining – loudly – about the electric Lightning and Mach-E models building up on dealer lots. Some of that probably has to do with Ford’s own CEO announcing that next year’s models would be NACS compatible and sprinkling some Osborne-effect onto the existing lineup, and some of it has to do with Ford’s own dealers spending the last few years marking up EVs to the point that no one wants to do business with them anymore. Either way, this will take more of Ford’s EVs off lots and put them into the hands of customers – and that’s good for everyone.
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The US Department of Energy (DOE) today announced $1.2 billion in financing to replace Puerto Rico’s fossil fuel plants with solar and battery storage through 2032.
The DOE’s Loan Programs Office announced two conditional commitments and one loan closing to power producers in Puerto Rico. Each supports a project contracted with the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority. The announcements include:
- The closing of a $584.5 million loan guarantee to subsidiaries of Convergent Energy to finance a 100 MW solar farm with a 55 MW (55 MWh) battery energy storage system (BESS) in the municipality of Coamo and BESS installations in the municipalities of Caguas (25MW/100MWh), Peñuelas (100MW/400MWh), and Ponce (up to 100MW/400MWh)
- A conditional commitment for a loan guarantee of up to $133.6 million to a subsidiary of Infinigen for a 32.1 MW solar farm with an integrated 14.45 MW (4.76 MWh) BESS, and a co-located standalone 50 MW (200 MWh) BESS expansion in the municipality of Yabucoa
- A conditional commitment for a loan guarantee of up to $489.4 million to a subsidiary of Pattern Energy for three stand-alone BESS in the municipalities of Arecibo (50 MW/200 MWh), and Santa Isabel (50 MW /200 MWh and 80 MW/320 MW), and a 70 MW solar farm with an integrated BESS in the municipality of Arecibo.
If all are finalized, these projects would more than double LPO’s support for utility-scale solar generation and battery energy storage in Puerto Rico.
LPO provides low-cost financing and a rigorous due diligence process, making it a valuable resource for Puerto Rico as it works to rebuild an affordable, reliable, and clean energy system. As a result of reliance on imported fuel, the persistent threat of tropical storms, and underinvested infrastructure, Puerto Ricans today face average energy costs that are twice the US average – all while consuming only one-quarter of the energy of the US per capita.
LPO’s initial loan to a power producer in Puerto Rico, Project Marahu, closed in October 2024, and when complete will add more than 200 MW of solar and up to 285 MW of stand-alone energy storage to Puerto Rico’s grid.
Through its September 2023 partial loan guarantee to Project Hestia, LPO also supports virtual power plant (VPP)-ready rooftop solar and battery storage installations in Puerto Rico. As a nationwide project, Hestia’s sponsor is committed to at least 20% of installations under Project Hestia going to homeowners in Puerto Rico.
As part of its procurement plan, Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority seeks to install 1,500 MW of battery storage and requires a minimum capacity of storage to be co-located with each utility-scale solar project. Energy storage systems currently online in Puerto Rico are being dispatched every day.
When including Marahu, LPO’s closed and conditionally committed financing supports over 100% of the capacity Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority aimed to procure under its initial request for energy storage project proposals, the first of six.
Read more: Cleantech investments to top fossil fuels for the first time in 2025
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Chevy just introduced new deals on the Equinox and Blazer EV models to make them even more affordable. With 0% interest and a new trade-in bonus, Chevy is offering over $5,000 in savings.
Chevy adds new Equinox and Blazer EV deals in January
Although the Chevy Equinox EV is already “the most affordable” EV in its class with over 315 miles range, it’s getting even cheaper.
Earlier this week, Chevy launched new deals on the 2024 Equinox and Blazer EV models. According to a note sent to dealers, viewed by CarsDirect, the electric SUVs are now available with 0% APR financing for 60 months. You can also choose from 0.9% AP for 72 months and 2.9% APR for 84 months.
This marks the best financing offer on Chevy’s newest EVs to date. The previous best rates were 0.9% APR for 60 months, 3.9% for 72 months, and 5.9% for the longer 84-month option.
On a 7-year $45,000 loan, online auto research firm CarsDirect estimates the new deals amount to around a $5,200 price cut. The lower APR rates are already offered on the Chevrolet Silverado EV pickup.
In addition, Chevy is offering a trade-in bonus of up to $3,000 on the Silverado EV and $1,000 on the electric Equinox and Blazer models. If you choose to lease, the bonus is cut in half: $1,500 for the Silverado and $500 for the electric SUVs.
Chevy’s new EV deals started on January 14 and run through March 3, 2025. The deals come as rivals like Hyundai and Ford recently launched new EV promotions.
On Thursday, Hyundai launched a new promo on the upgraded 2025 IONIQ 5, which includes monthly leases as low as $199 and a free ChargePoint home EV charger (or $400 charging credit). Meanwhile, Ford extended its “Power Promise” program earlier this month, which also includes a free home charger, among several other benefits.
The 2024 Chevy Equinox EV started at $41,900 with up to 315 miles range. Prices for the electric Chevy Blazer start at $43,690 with up to 279 miles range.
If you are ready to try out Chevy’s new electric SUVs for yourself, we’ve got you covered. You can use our links below to view offers on the Chevy Equinox, Silverado, and Blazer EV models near you.
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In the Electrek Podcast, we discuss the most popular news in the world of sustainable transport and energy. In this week’s episode, we discuss non-Tesla EVs getting Supercharger access, Cybertruck sales in the spotlight, Rivian getting some money from Biden, and more.
The show is live every Friday at 4 p.m. ET on Electrek’s YouTube channel.
As a reminder, we’ll have an accompanying post, like this one, on the site with an embedded link to the live stream. Head to the YouTube channel to get your questions and comments in.
After the show ends at around 5 p.m. ET, the video will be archived on YouTube and the audio on all your favorite podcast apps:
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Here are a few of the articles that we will discuss during the podcast:
Here’s the live stream for today’s episode starting at 4:00 p.m. ET (or the video after 5 p.m. ET):
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