Xos, which makes fully electric Class 5 to Class 8 commercial vehicles, has signed agreements with FedEx Ground operators to deliver 120 zero-emission electric trucks across 35 different FedEx Ground operators in five states.

In a blog post, Xos notes, “There are thousands of ground delivery contractors, also known as ISPs, operating within the United States. And in March of 2021, FedEx Corp. announced its long-term sustainability plans, which include helping ISPs reach carbon-neutral operations by 2040. FedEx also stated that it would collaborate with ISPs to ensure all parcel pickups and deliveries were made with electric vehicles within the next 20 years.”

Delivery of the Xos vehicles is expected to occur in the fourth quarter of 2021 and in 2022, to ISPs based in California, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Texas. Discussions regarding additional vehicle deliveries in 2022 and 2023 to these customers, as well as additional FedEx Ground operators in these and other states, are ongoing, according to a news release.

“Working with FedEx Ground operators, who operate every day within FedEx’s global delivery and logistics network, both validates our business model and our innovative, cost-efficient, zero emission and operationally ready products, which are tailored for commercial fleets focusing on last-mile delivery,” said Dakota Semler, Xos’ co-founder and CEO, in that release.

Xos said it also will support its customers in meeting their site infrastructure and charging needs at vehicle depots, in addition to offering Fleet-as-a-Service and financing alternatives to streamline their purchasing, maintenance, and operating experience.

Xos durability testing

The news comes on the heels of the company's announcement that an Xos step van successfully completed a durability test at an automotive test track and proving grounds in New Carlisle, Indiana.

Xos’ durability tests were conducted over 4,000 driven miles by professional drivers. The testing was made up of different types of varied terrain designed to test and challenge the vehicles’ structural integrity, including chatter and impact bumps, resonance, and undulating, gravel and cross-country roads.

The tests simulate 200,000 miles of real world driving, a 15-year life of hard inner-city use. They represent the full range of terrain and conditions that a vehicle may encounter during its lifespan, with terrain such as cobblestones, and track that mimics potholes as well as smaller irregularities in pavements. In addition, the testing replicated the kind of sharp turns vehicles much deal with in the delivery world, with figure 8s, acceleration, and braking.

While the vehicle performed very well, there were things that the company learned that are already being incorporated into trucks it’s building now.