The California Air Resource Board (CARB) may have withdrawn its request to enact the proposed Advanced Clean Fleets rule, but California drayage company 4 Gen Logistics is still full speed ahead in its efforts to decarbonize. 4 Gen remains committed to the deployment of a fully zero-emission fleet by the end of 2025 – and it looks like they’re going to get there!
4 Gen Logistics has a long history of serving the ports and terminals of Southern California, handling both imports and exports through its logistics centers in Long Beach and Rialto since 1943, when it was known as Duncan & Sons. With that kind of history under its belt, the company has seen the LA smog build up throughout the fifties and sixties, and eventually dissipate throughout the nineties as stricter emissions rules began to clear things up – so they’re invested in keeping their community’s air clean.
To that end, the company began experimenting with electric drayage trucks through the Volvo LIGHTS program in 2019. That program, led by Volvo Trucks, Volvo Financial Services (VFS), and the South Coast Air Quality Management District, provided a roadmap for integrating battery-electric trucks at scale.
Having seen real TCO and quality of life benefits from their deployment of electric trucks, Gen 4 is once again turning to Volvo Trucks and VFS to help finance the next step in the company’s 80-year sustainability journey.
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“When we partnered with VFS, we believed in the potential of this emerging technology,” offered Brad Bayne, vice president of strategic initiatives at 4 Gen Logistics, which currently includes a fleet of 41 Volvo VNR Electric semi trucks as part of a 79-unit ZET fleet. “The smooth acceleration, the uninterrupted torque, the quietness — our drivers just loved it. So, we said, ‘Why not order 40 more of those?’”
At least forty more
2nd gen Volvo VNR Electric; via Volvo Trucks.
Gen 4 Logistics’ Volvo VNR Electric assets cover an average of 240 miles per day, utilizing strategically placed charging stations (including opportunity charging points) to maximize fleet uptime and extend each truck’s useful daily range.
With that new order, the fourth generation of Duncan & Sons truckers is confident they’ll reach their goal of a 100% zero-emission fleet by the end of 2025. “We’re proud to be part of the Volvo family and excited for the future,” said Bayne. “The journey from vision to reality is happening now, and we couldn’t be happier with our progress.”
Electrek’s Take
VNR Electric charging; via Volvo Trucks.
Now counting miles in operation in the tens of millions and rolling out its third generation of electric semi trucks, Volvo (and, by extension, Mack and Renault) continue to build a huge lead in the commercial trucking space. The competition, meanwhile, seems content to post pictures of its first factory while trucks that have been on order for years still haven’t reached customers.
Hyundai is about to launch a new electric SUV in China. With its big debut coming up, Hyundai just dropped a sneak peek, and it looks like it could be the IONIQ 4. Check it out for yourself in the video below.
Is Hyundai teasing the IONIQ 4?
We caught our first glimpse of the new EV model last month after Beijing Hyundai released a few official “spy” photos.
Despite the camouflage, you can see a few design elements, like a light bar across the front, slim LED headlights, and a closed-off grille. At first, it almost looks like a smaller version of the IONIQ 9, Hyundai’s first three-row electric SUV, but with a much sportier, shaped profile.
Beijing Hyundai released a new teaser for the upcoming electric SUV this week. The video shows “a wave of high-end operations” as the vehicle dances across the snow.
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The video highlights features like real-time torque control, high-speed cornering, and the SUV’s impressive body control while driving around cones.
Hyundai’s new electric SUV is being called “OE” internally, according to The Korean Car Blog, suggesting it could be an IONIQ model.
All other Hyundai IONIQ EV models were also codenamed with an “E” internally, which is raising speculation that this could be the IONIQ 4.
Like most global OEMs, Hyundai is fighting to compete in an intense Chinese EV market, which is dominated by domestic automakers like BYD.
Hyundai teases new electric SUV in China (Source: Beijing Hyundai)
Hyundai opened its first overseas R&D center last year in China to spearhead its comeback. It will work with local suppliers and tech companies to develop EVs designed for Chinese buyers. The new electric SUV is expected to launch in China later this year, followed by three new energy vehicles, including EVs and EREVs.
Beijing Hyundai will release more information on April 16, with the electric SUV set to “challenge the limit of driving performance.”
What do you think of Hyundai’s new electric SUV? Is this the IONIQ 4? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
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Charge point provider char.gy has secured a £130 million contract to install 6,000 curbside EV chargers for Brighton and Hove City Council (BHCC) – the UK’s largest installation of its kind.
London-based char.gy has also been awarded a 15-year contract to operate and maintain the charging network.
Installing Level 2 chargers curbside, where most drivers in the UK park, will enable more people to take advantage of cheaper charging rates while juicing up their EVs overnight. (charg.gy’s pay as you go night tariff, between midnight and 7 am, is £0.39/kWh, compared to its £0.59/kWh day tariff.)
John Lewis, chief executive of char.gy, said the project is “a huge moment for the UK and its EV ambitions. This partnership alone will empower thousands of residents to confidently make the switch to electric vehicles, knowing they have easy access to chargers.”
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Brighton and Hove City Council is among the first to tap into the government’s Local EV Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund, designed to help English local authorities roll out charging solutions for residents without off-street parking. Future of Roads Minister Lilian Greenwood said making EV charging as accessible as possible is “crucial to making the switch to electric a success.”
The UK now has over 75,000 public EV chargers, according to the Department for Transport—and it looks like the country’s on pace to hit its 2030 target. Back in December, the National Audit Office said the rollout is “on track” to meet the DfT’s estimate that at least 300,000 chargers will be needed by the end of the decade.
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