Alternative fuel sources are to be explored by Ferguson and Ford Motors, enabling environment-friendly solutions for ongoing industry challenges of commercial fleet transportation.
Ferguson Enterprises LLC, a prominent value-added distributor of infrastructure, HVAC, and plumbing, in North America, announces a futuristic collaboration with Ford Motor Company. The collaboration entails the placement of an unprecedented F550 Fuel Cell Prototype Chassis Work Truck within Ferguson’s routine fleet operations for six months.
The F550 Fuel Cell Prototype Chassis Work Truck is a DOE Super Truck 3 initiative and aligns with Ferguson’s sustainability strategy. This strategy operates for the reduction of Scope 1 emissions from the fleets.
The Ford and Ferguson pilot program’s objective is to evaluate the functioning of the fuel cell technology in the Ferguson fleet, with Ford obtaining real-world usage data. This evaluation will provide Ford vehicle data and feedback about the technology, helping them redefine the engineering requirements for commercial vehicle duty cycles.
Moreover, this data will address the existing industry challenges, such as battery range and payload capacity, that hamper the rapid conversion of fleets to sustainable options.
Kevin Murphy, Ferguson CEO, said, “This innovative collaboration with Ford will help improve alternative fuel options in their medium-duty fleet, aligned with our corporate sustainability strategy to reduce scope 1 and 2 emissions.”
Jim Buczkowski, Executive Director of Ford Research and Advanced Engineering, said, “The collaboration with Ferguson exemplifies where our Ford Pro business and the potential of fuel cell propulsion systems might highlight the application gaps unfulfilled by battery electric vehicles.”
Under this collaboration, Ferguson has decided to construct a location in Charlotte, NC, to facilitate the installation of temporary infrastructure equipment during the execution of the pilot. Ferguson’s recent pilots complement the previous pilot program, with Holman and Electrada, of launching 30 class 6 through 8 all-electric delivery trucks in its fleet. Both these investments will lead Ferguson towards a more environmentally friendly fleet.
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