Bimbo Bakeries has renewed its partnership with Motiv Power Systems with a follow-up order of 100 electric walk-in vans after a successful year-long pilot program.

Bimbo Bakeries USA, the largest bakery in the United States, conducted a pilot of five Motiv-powered electric trucks that performed flawlessly on real-world delivery routes. Another 23 trucks are currently in production, with 100 more planned for 2021 deployments, all powered by Motiv's Epic F-59 chassis. BBU will deploy these additional vehicles across California, New York, and Pennsylvania. 

"We are pleased with the 100% uptime of our pilot vehicles and look forward to growing this partnership into 2021 with additional deployments," said Eric McCann, technical fleet manager for Bimbo Bakeries. "Sustainability is built into our company's purpose, and incorporating these vehicles into our fleet is an important step toward reducing our dependence on fossil fuels. With Motiv's help, we're confident that we will meet our goals."

BBU has implemented programs throughout the country to reduce water, power, and energy usage, decrease air emissions, and use an environmentally responsible waste management system.

Delivery vans are a popular choice for large parcel and delivery fleets, linen and uniform companies, and bakery trucks, due to the ample cargo space which is easily accessible while drivers make multiple stops, notes Motiv. The last-mile operations and return-to-depot nature make them a great candidate for electrification.

As fleets move to electric, operators need a way to seamlessly transition their internal combustion engine vehicles to electric vehicles without compromising functionality and reliability. Motiv's Epic chassis uses a proprietary AdaptEV software platform, which provides optimized vehicle performance and efficiency. The EPIC chassis are Ford eQVM approved and retain the Ford OEM chassis warranty.