IKEA and 3PL Provider Launch All-Electric Drayage Trucks

IKEA Distribution Services North America and third-party logistics company National Retail Systems have launched a zero-emissions electric drayage operation in Los Angeles.

The electric drayage tractors, called ElecTrucks, are battery-electric and have an operating range of up to 100 miles. To begin, NRS will pull IKEA containers from the Port of Los Angeles to the yard using these electric drayage tractors. The vehicles have the capacity to handle round trips from the NRS yard to any of the IKEA stores in the Los Angeles market, according to NRS.

Moving forward, the program could potentially allow zero-emission transport of IKEA containers from the port to local stores.

NRS has made infrastructure updates to accommodate the ElecTruck by building energy charging stations, the company says.

The ElecTruck is a Navistar International Class 8 truck converted to use battery-electric propulsion system by TransPower.

“We are excited to work with IKEA in rolling out zero emissions electric drayage trucks in Los Angeles, and hope that the operation is a success,” said Raymond Wisniewski, COO and President of National Retail Systems, Inc. “I look forward to expanding our green technology, and reducing our carbon footprint.”