PepsiCo Beverages North America announces California-based electric fleet will more than triple with latest deployment. These Tesla semitrucks will operate out of a Fresno facility to serve customers across California.

PepsiCo Beverages North America (PBNA) recently announced the expansion of its electric-powered fleet across California. In the next several months, fifty Class 8 Tesla Semi trucks will operate out of its manufacturing and distribution facility in Fresno, Calif., and 75 Ford E-Transit electric vans will step-change the electrification of its equipment services fleet across the state. The electric vehicle deployment will help the company progress toward its ambitious pep+ (PepsiCo Positive) goal to reach net zero emissions by 2040.

"Our fleet electrification is an important part of our pep+ (PepsiCo Positive) strategy and illustrates how sustainability is a core business strategy at PepsiCo— good for the planet, good for our business, and good for the communities we serve," says John Dean, President for PepsiCo Beverages North America, West Division.

PBNA's Fresno location is a 170,000-square-foot manufacturing facility with a fleet operation that distributes PepsiCo products including Pepsi, STARRY, Gatorade, Rockstar, Aquafina, and more. At the facility, eight 750-kilowatt Tesla chargers and two Tesla Megapack Battery Energy Storage Systems have been installed onsite to power the electric Semis.

Across all of PBNA's 13 locations in California, PBNA is deploying 75 Ford E-Transit electric vans, which will serve a variety of applications, including sales deliveries and service support.

The deployment of electric vehicles in Fresno also kicks off a job training program for students enrolled in Reedley College and Duncan Polytechnic High School. The program educating over 100 students, annually, focuses on developing hands-on job training in the field of electric trucks and infrastructure maintenance.

PepsiCo's participation in the North American Council for Freight Efficiency's (NACFE) 2023 Run on Less Electric Depot demonstrated the ability to seamlessly integrate electrified Semis into PBNA's business through the Tesla Semis operating out of PBNA's Sacramento facility. Frito-Lay North America (FLNA) also has a fleet of Tesla Semis that operate out of their Modesto, Calif. facility, and FLNA's Queens, New York, facility participated in NACFE's 2023 Run on Less with a fleet of Ford E-Transits.

Expanding PBNA's electric fleet is supported by a grant provided by the California Air Resources Board, the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District, and the California Energy Commission as part of their California Climate Investments, a statewide initiative that puts billions of Cap-and-Trade dollars to work reducing greenhouse gas emissions, strengthening the economy, and improving public health and the environment — particularly in disadvantaged communities. View news release for further details.

New PG&E Service Offering Makes It Easier, Faster to Tap Into Grid

Pacific Gas and Electric Company has installed more than 6,300 EV charging ports throughout Northern and Central California through its infrastructure programs, and PG&E has come up with a new way to even more quickly connect EV fast-charging stations and grid-scale batteries, according to a news release by PG&E.

PG&E's new Flexible Service Connection, or Flex Connect, allows customers with controllable power needs, like EV chargers, to connect to the grid without needing to wait for capacity upgrades.

Flex Connect uses PG&E's cloud-based Distributed Energy Resource Management System (DERMS) to coordinate a site's power demand based on when electricity supply is readily available. This solution allows a site to connect sooner, while PG&E completes necessary long-term infrastructure upgrades in the area. Developed and deployed in collaboration with Microsoft and Schneider Electric, PG&E's DERMS connects to the site's energy management system and sends an hourly power limit forecast a day in advance so that the customer can plan ahead.

"Our new Flexible Service Connection offering delivers individualized solutions that best meet customers' near-term needs, allowing them to connect without waiting for a physical infrastructure upgrade," says Mike Delaney, Vice President of Utility Partnerships and Innovation, PG&E. "Schneider Electric has proven to be a premier collaborator in developing and deploying DERMS and our advanced distribution management system, and we've now established a template for other utilities to deploy these capabilities right out of the box. This is what innovation and partnership looks like and now other utilities across the nation can benefit from the work happening here at PG&E and in California."

PG&E has so far expedited the connection of four sites through Flex Connect, with several more in development.

"We are excited to strengthen our growing partnership with PG&E to enhance infrastructure and accelerate the connection of EV fast-charging stations and grid-scale batteries" says Luis D'Acosta, Executive Vice President of Digital Energy at Schneider Electric. "Schneider Electric's DERMS provides PG&E with critical visibility, forecasting, and control to streamline grid connections for customers with dynamic power needs, while maintaining grid safety and reliability".

Powering New Tesla Supercharger Sites

In early 2024, Tesla applied for PG&E electric service for several new Supercharger stations along key highway travel corridors. PG&E said it would take a few years to upgrade the grid to provide enough power where Tesla wanted the sites.

But if Tesla could be flexible with their power needs, they could connect the new fast chargers sooner.

Here's how it works:

• Tesla asks for 2 megawatts (MW) of power for a new Supercharger site.
• Most of the time, the grid can provide the full 2 MW. But during peak times, like hot summer evenings, the site would be limited to 0.5 MW.
• Normally, Tesla would have to wait for grid upgrades to get the full 2 MW year round.
• With Flex Connect, Tesla connects their charging site to PG&E's grid and DERMS, which adjusts the power based on availability (using a day-ahead forecast). This way, Tesla can get the full 2 MW right away and nearly all the time.

To date, Flex Connect has helped Tesla increase the capacity of two new Supercharger sites (in Santa Nella and Upper Lake, Calif.) with numerous additional sites in development.

Related Articles:

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• Walmart Canada: First Major Canadian Retailer Introduces Hydrogen Fuel Cell Electric Truck
• Electric Vehicles: How Will Net Zero Net Out for Food Shippers?
• Sysco Targets Transportation and Production Emissions in Sustainability Goals
• Food Companies Embrace Electric Class 8 Trucks

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