Electric Vehicles Enter a New Frontier With UPS Delivery Trucks

LOS ANGELES, March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

FN Media Group Presents USA News Group News Commentary 

It appears that one of the last frontiers for the EV revolution is getting a boost as UPS opens its fleet to plug-in vehicles in 2018.

This news comes as demand for lithium supplies are already forecasting a shortfall as early as the end of this year.

Lithium companies are bracing for the push from global increases in demand including NRG Metals Inc. (TSX-V: NGZ) (OTC: NRGMF), LSC Lithium Corp. , Neo Lithium Corporation (TSX-V: NLC) (OTC: NTTHF), and Galaxy Resources (OTC: GALXF).

The electric vehicle revolution seems to kick into higher gear every day as more and more transport services adopt EVs. With Tesla having already made a foothold in the family sedan car category, new categories like mass freight and delivery services now look ripe for the taking.

No one could be more concerned about where all the lithium to power this increased demand will come from than the EV industry.

Newly developing sources for lithium like NRG Metals Inc. (TSXV: NGZ) (OTCMKTS: NRGMF) offer a potential supply. That junior miner is developing a potentially large lithium brine project in South America's well known lithium triangle.

The trend for lithium demand also has advanced lithium miners working overtime in order to bring on greater supplies of the valuable metal including Pilbara Minerals Ltd (OTC: PILBF), Neo Lithium Corporation (TSXV: NLC) (OTCQX: NTTHF), and Galaxy Resources (OTC: GALXF).

The lithium-focused producers are all experiencing heightened activity and wild price hikes in lithium.

UPS READY TO ADOPT EVs STATESIDE 

In late 2018, UPS will introduce a fleet of 50 plug-in delivery trucks in the US with the expectation of an even larger fleet in 2019.

UPS already has a sizeable fleet of electric vehicles in service across the US and Europe, but the new fleet comes at a much lower cost that is almost similar to diesel-fueled trucks. As such, the company is able to scale up its electric fleet much faster without the need for subsidies.

UPS is working with transport company Workhorse Group to design and build the trucks from scratch.

The trucks are reportedly able to perform at four times the efficiency of combustion engine trucks while emitting lower noise and zero pollutants.

With delivery services expected to grow steadily due to online shopping, UPS's stance to turn to electric trucks is crucial in the fight against greenhouse gas emissions.

Carlton Rose, the president of global fleet maintenance and engineering at UPS sees the improving battery charging and mileage as a crucial factor in the success of the company's fleet. Rose described UPS's new trucks a "quantum leap forward" for the company's delivery fleet.