EV Pilot Charging Infrastructure Installation


Multi Location EVSE
Rapid Procurement & Installation.

A national retail chain was looking to test pilot electric vehicles (EVs) as a replacement for their local delivery trucks at 25 retail locations. They needed a supplier that could not only provide the in-demand EV cargo vans, but also had the capability to recommend and coordinate the installation of Level 2 charging stations to keep them charged up. 

They reached out to Merchants fleet for assistance.

Read the Full Story

Serving Communities for Decades
A national retail chain with thousands of locations across in the United States.
A Future, Fully-Electrified Fleet
An end goal of transitioning the entire pickup and delivery fleet to zero tailpipe emission vehicles by 2040.
Coast-to-Coast EV Pilot
EV cargo vans were tested in close to a dozen markets across the country.

“We appreciate the knowledge and experience from the Merchants Fleet Electrification team during development and roll out of our initial pilot. Merchants has been a valuable resource in educating our team and getting them comfortable with the EVs.”

Manager of Vendor Services

Making Strides in Sustainability

A national retail chain was looking to test pilot electric vehicles (EVs) as a replacement for their local delivery trucks at 25 retail locations. They needed a supplier that could not only provide the in-demand EV cargo vans, but also had the capability to recommend and coordinate the installation of Level 2 charging stations to keep them charged up.

After deciding on Ford E-Transit cargo vans, their Manager of Vendor Services worked with the Merchants Fleet Electrification Team to map out the infrastructure needed to get charging stations at each location.

A Successful Installation with More to Come

After laying the logistical groundwork, Merchants had all the charging stations up and running before their vehicles arrived.

In order to control access to their chargers, Merchants implemented an authorization-based system using RFID cards. These cards are purposely designed to mimic the process for distribution and use of the fuel cards. This program can be scaled up to work across multiple sites.

The EVs have been a success, during the first four months of use more than 28 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions were avoided. That’s the equivalent of 720 trees planted with 10 years of growth.

Why Choose Merchants Fleet?

When looking for a partner to help implement their pilot, Merchants Fleet had the experience and capability as an end-to-end fleet management company that has made a commitment to fleet electrification. Multiple charging options were offered, with an outside installation firm hired to install the Merchants-supplied chargers. Merchants coordinated the installation with the equipment vendor, the installer, and the client; managed RFID card onboarding and distribution; and provided training and tech support as needed.