Mosaic Forest Management, Canada's timberlands manager, announced that it has ordered three Tesla Semis for logging operations on Vancouver Island. EcoWest Driven will support the efforts by building a network of charging stations for commercial trucks.
On March 31, Mosaic Forest Management announced its partnership with local Vancouver Island service provider, EcoWest Driven, to introduce several Tesla Semi trucks into log hauling. The company has placed an order for three Tesla Semi electric trucks. After they are delivered, the logging company will launch a pilot project that will use only electric trucks, which according to the company's vice president Domenico Ianndinardo, will be the first project in the world where electric trucks will be used for log hauling, reported Drive Tesla Canada.
“To our knowledge, there’s no one in the world hauling logs with fully electric trucks in the mountainous terrain that we have here so this would be a global first for fully electrified full log haul trucks,” said Ianndinardo.
Forestry operations generate emissions from exhaust pipes, including from log trucks. This is why electrifying the fleet is a particularly good approach in British Columbia where over 90% of power in the Province is generated from clean hydroelectric sources.
“We are committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2035 and electrifying our log hauling fleet is a significant step in that direction,” said Jeff Zweig, President and CEO of Mosaic Forest Management.
The use of electric trucks would be ideal for the area. Heading up the mountain empty, trucks will save battery power, while coming back down a mountain loaded, they can recover energy using the recuperative braking.
“BC is a global center of excellence in forestry, and we are proud to work with our local partner, EcoWest Driven, on this important project.”
“With our in-depth experience and knowledge of the forestry industry on Vancouver Island, we are excited to partner with Mosaic to utilize Tesla’s innovative electric semis into log haulers,” said Timber Johnson, Director and Co-Founder of EcoWest Driven.
“We have begun the process of creating charging infrastructure and a new electric vehicle maintenance facility in Parksville, BC to accommodate this new demand for emission-free heavy haulers,” added Jarvis Shaver, Director and Co-Founder of EcoWest Driven.
"Mosaic's commitment to carbon neutrality, and these innovative actions in support of that commitment, align with our CleanBC objectives to build a cleaner and better low carbon economy for British Columbians," said Katrine Conroy, Minister of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development.
© 2021, Eva Fox. All rights reserved.
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About the Author
Eva Fox
Eva Fox joined Tesmanian in 2019 to cover breaking news as an automotive journalist. The main topics that she covers are clean energy and electric vehicles. As a journalist, Eva is specialized in Tesla and topics related to the work and development of the company.
