SMUD accelerates its fleet electrification with five all-electric work trucks from Zeus Electric Chassis, Inc.

Partners with the California Mobility Center and Zeus Electric Chassis, Inc.

SMUD has partnered with Zeus Electric Chassis, Inc. and the California Mobility Center (CMC) to procure five custom, all-electric work trucks as it works to transition to an all-electric fleet. The trucks are the only all-electric work truck chassis manufactured in North America in the medium duty class and will be customized for a variety of uses throughout SMUD’s service territory.

“This is a phenomenal addition to our fleet,” said SMUD General Manager and CEO Paul Lau. “Not only does it showcase the future of electric vehicles and the ability to transition a large fleet to all-electric, but it also reduces our operating costs and greenhouses gases – helping us meet our goal of zero carbon by 2030.”

SMUD has invested in fleet electrification for more than 10 years and has a total of 950 assets in its fleet consisting of sedans, service trucks, bucket trucks, trailers, cable pullers and other construction equipment. Electrification efforts have depended upon commercially available technology and focused on electric and hybrid light duty vehicles and hybrid bucket trucks. Just last year, SMUD added 16 new Chevy Bolts to its fleet, bringing the count to 122 all-electric or hybrid vehicles across the fleet.

SMUD has a goal to transition 25 percent of its total fleet to electric or hybrid options by 2022 and recently added electric service trucks to its fleet.

Zeus is a start-up company out of Lindstrom, MN and is currently the only complete custom upfit electric truck chassis manufacturer in North America for medium duty work trucks. 

SMUD’s fleet engineers helped design the vehicle specifications and Zeus will fabricate the trucks in collaboration with the CMC. With a nine-month lead time, SMUD hopes to have the vehicles in operation by the end of the year.

SMUD has long been a supporter of electric vehicles, having worked with major automakers and a wide variety of technology companies for the past 30 years to help test and optimize EVs and vehicle charging equipment, and demonstrate real-world effectiveness.

SMUD’s efforts and partnerships have already brought electric vehicles to underserved communities; electric school buses to local districts; clean public transportation; mobile battery charging stations and more.

Additionally, SMUD’s special EV rate discount allows EV owners to save money when they charge their vehicles between midnight and 6 a.m. This allows owners to maximize their savings while mitigating the impact to SMUD’s electric grid for all customers.

SMUD was introduced to Zeus through its work with the California Mobility Center that was founded to serve as an innovation hub of policy, funding and commercialization of clean transportation technologies including autonomous transportation; electric vehicles; battery storage; shared mobility solutions; public transit and more. The goal is to provide equal opportunities in Sacramento for increased mobility and access to employment, healthcare and education.

About SMUD

As the nation’s sixth-largest, community-owned, not-for-profit electric service provider, SMUD has been providing low-cost, reliable electricity for almost 75 years to Sacramento County (and small adjoining portions of Placer and Yolo Counties). SMUD is a recognized industry leader and award winner for its innovative energy efficiency programs, renewable power technologies, and for its sustainable solutions for a healthier environment. SMUD’s energy is about 50 percent non-carbon emitting. For more information, visit smud.org.

About California Mobility Center

The California Mobility Center (CMC) is a public-private partnership led by global thought leaders in clean technology innovation including the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD). The CMC aspires to be the leading global innovation and commercialization center for future mobility, strategically located in Sacramento. Its location puts the CMC in close proximity to world-class educational institutions, leaders in clean mobile technology, award winning utilities and to California government that leads the United States and world in producing policies around green mobility and technology.