Vancouver-based 7Gen deployed its first all-electric Class 7 box truck to be used by a Canadian company.
7Gen is an electric vehicle and charging infrastructure leasing company that works with medium- and heavy-duty fleets. It displayed the Peterbilt 220EV in Toronto, Ont., last week at the EV Charging and Expo.
“This is a big turning point, and it’s the first EV in this Class 7,” said Shayna Rector Bleeker, 7Gen Co-founder and Vice President, in an interview with Canadian auto dealer. “It creates more choice and more opportunity for learning in this segment. It’s a big deal. It’s taken 12 months of talking to get a vehicle of this clout out.”
7Gen bought the truck and entered into a leasing agreement with GoBolt, a company that is based in Toronto and provides a tech-enabled supply chain network in Calgary, Ottawa, Montréal, Vancouver, and some cities in the United States. IKEA Canada pays GoBolt to move its furniture.
“The next exciting phase will be figuring out electrified (refrigerated containers) that can go on vehicles like this, and how you might power those without being too much of a drain on batteries,” said Rector Bleeker. “There’s some really cool Canadian companies working on that.”
She said the idea for this specific type of EV truck began in 2021, when 7Gen was speaking with IKEA. Rector Bleeker said the retailer wants 100 per cent of their last-mile deliveries in cities with zero-emission vehicles by 2025.
“It’s really great to have this as an option with a battery of good enough size to get up to [a] 200-kilometre range,” said Rector Bleeker. “If you’ve got that many goods in the back, that’s probably the route you’ve got to take.”
Brandt Group of Companies, which has Peterbilt among its clients retailing trucks and trailers, welcomed the arrival of the 220EV.
“As an Ontario dealer, we’re excited to bring the first 220EV to Ontario and Canada,” said Brandt’s Vice President of Sales, Truck & Trailer, Ryan Bisson. “Our dealerships are fully trained and certified to sell and service EV trucks in the region. We appreciate working with partners like 7Gen to provide the infrastructure and leasing to support our customers as they integrate EVs into their fleets.”
