Ruan received a grant award from the Maricopa County Air Quality Department as part of their State Clean Diesel Program, the first distributed in Arizona. The Diesel Emission Reduction Act (DERA) provides funding to switch out or retrofit diesel vehicles and equipment to reduce ground-level ozone pollution. Maricopa County received funding for this grant from the Environmental Protection
Agency and the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality.
This award provided $155,438 in funds to support the State Clean Diesel Program and benefit air quality by replacing one 2015 Class 8 terminal tractor with a Class-8 100% battery-electric yard tractor manufactured by Orange EV. Ruan Transportation will provide 55% matching funds.
“Over the last 92 years, Ruan has adapted and strived to invest in new processes and technologies that reduce our environmental impact.” Said Chief Commercial Officer, Marty Wadle. “It’s rooted in our commitment to continuously improve our operations.”
Ruan received its first electric yard vehicle in September 2020 and, to date, has converted 20 percent of their yard tractor fleet to zero-emission electric vehicles across ten states and seven major customers, with additional vehicles to come. In partnership with our dedicated customer, Clarios, one of the largest manufacturers and distributors of vehicle battery technologies in the United States, Ruan has placed this vehicle in their Yuma, Arizona location. Ruan helps their enduring partners achieve their sustainability goals, and with this addition, Ruan’s ZEV fleet only continues to grow.
Ruan actively monitors state and federal funding opportunities that can reduce the upfront investment in electric vehicle deployment. Securing these grant funding opportunities helps customers like Clarios eliminate diesel fuel costs and related emissions, provide an improved experience for professional drivers, reduce maintenance requirements, and eventually offer cost savings.
“The yard tractor is the right application to start electrification and continue decarbonization efforts,” said Brad Gehring, VP of Procurement and Asset Management at Ruan Transportation. “It is a creative, reliable, sustainable transportation solution that improves driver satisfaction and can be lower cost versus diesel deployment. Orange EV has been a great partner over the past 6+ years.”