Troubling Times for Electric Trucking

Art of Supply

With all the recent buzz about electric vehicles (EVs), not to mention the push towards sustainability and emissions reduction, it was only going to be a matter of time before electric Class 8 trucks entered the scene.

Class 8s are classic semis or tractor trailers, so they are not just part of the supply chain, they have supply chains themselves. There are a number of companies in the space, some with familiar names and some that are startups. Commercial electric trucking has been in the news recently, and not for entirely good reasons.

In this episode of Dial P for Procurement, Kelly Barner covers two recent news stories and an emerging business model:

• The recent bankruptcy of Volta, a Swedish electric truck startup, and the supplier relationship that caused it
• This week’s breaking news about former Nikola Founder Trevor Milton being sentenced to four years in prison for defrauding investors in his company
• The new Trucks-as-a-Service business model that has sprung up to bring electric fleets within reach of more companies

Links:

• Kelly Barner on LinkedIn
• Dial P for Procurement on AOP
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