Meijer Deploys 2 All-Electric Semitrucks in Michigan

Retailer becomes 1st to run vehicles in cold-weather environment

12/15/2022

Meijer took possession of two Freightliner eCascadia battery electric semitrucks earlier this month.

Meijer is celebrating its inaugural delivery with two new Freightliner eCascadia battery electric semitrucks – the first of which to operate outside California. The retailer received the electric trucks earlier this month, and will be tracking their performance in a cold-weather environment as part of a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy.

The trucks delivered a 44,000-pound food donation to Gleaners Community Food Bank in Detroit alongside Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, as well as representatives from Meijer and Daimler Truck North America. They will operate out of Meijer's Lansing Distribution Center and will make multiple deliveries daily to supercenters within a 200-mile trip range.

"Our company's earliest beginnings were marked by doing what's right while keeping an eye toward innovation. That philosophy still guides us today and is exemplified by our company's commitment to lessening our carbon footprint," Meijer President and CEO Rick Keyes said. "We're excited to continue our longstanding partnership with Freightliner to pave a sustainable future for the industry."

Meijer operates one of the largest semitruck fleets in Michigan and, in 2009, was the first retailer in North America to implement the Environmental Protection Agency's 2010 near-zero emissions standards. Also in 2009, Meijer became a test fleet for Freightliner and was selected in 2019 to test the battery electric semitrucks.

"Through this partnership, we can help accelerate the industry's transformation to electrification by applying valuable insights from data collected and real-world applications in a cold climate environment and make a meaningful difference when it comes to reducing greenhouse gas emissions," said Mike Graham, SVP of supply chain and manufacturing for Meijer. "We're pleased to work with Freightliner to further put the eCascadia tractors into real-world applications outside of southern California as we look for solutions to achieve zero emissions."

Privately owned Meijer operates more than 400 supercenters, neighborhood markets and Express locations throughout Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and Wisconsin. The company is No. 20 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2022 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America.