Ecolab Plans to Purchase 1,000 EVs to Electrify California Fleet

Chris Teague
by Chris Teague

Electric vehicle demand among potential buyers is growing, but it’s slower than many had hoped. That said, commercial buyers, especially those with large fleets, may be the short-term savior for automakers with deep EV investments. Ford recently announced that Ecolab would purchase more than 1,000 EVs to electrify its California operations through the next year.


Ecolab will buy the F-150 Lightning and Mustang Mach-E to electrify its sales and service fleets. The company also plans to employ Ford’s charging and telematics services to manage the influx of EVs. Ecolab’s CEO said the move would save around $1,400 per year for each vehicle replaced, but the company also wants to go all-electric in North America by the end of the decade and reach zero emissions overall by 2050.


Ford and Ecolab have worked together for nearly a century, and almost 95 percent of the company’s fleet comes from the automaker. It’s a helpful relationship for Ford, as the company plans to earn more than $1 billion by 2020 by providing services and products like these. The automaker said it expects 20 percent of its earnings to come from similar agreements.


While consumers worry about road trip range and charging, EVs tend to be a good fit for regional fleets. Their range and ability to charge at a central dispatch location make them a solid choice for delivery businesses and those like Ecolab with local route drivers.


[Image: Ford]


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Chris Teague
Chris Teague

Chris grew up in, under, and around cars, but took the long way around to becoming an automotive writer. After a career in technology consulting and a trip through business school, Chris began writing about the automotive industry as a way to reconnect with his passion and get behind the wheel of a new car every week. He focuses on taking complex industry stories and making them digestible by any reader. Just don’t expect him to stay away from high-mileage Porsches.

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  • Ollicat Ollicat on Jan 31, 2024

    Ghost, you troll. You have nothing but lies and misinformation to spread. Read ALL the articles about Hertz. They are replacing their Teslas with ICE cars because of high maintenance costs and lower takes on the Teslas. Their words not mine. Go take up your grievances with them and leave the rest of us alone.

    • EBFlex EBFlex on Jan 31, 2024

      TrollGhost is an amazing liar. It could work for the installed Brandon Administration. TrollGhost lies as much as the affirmative action hire for press secretary.


  • Aja8888 Aja8888 on Jan 31, 2024

    I'll do that tomorrow. I can look up their inventory. They are stuffed to the gills with new and used pickup trucks and are parking them in offsite lots. I live a mile from the dealership.

    • Lorenzo Lorenzo on Feb 01, 2024

      Check that mine in Kansas where Ford used to stash thousands of unsold compact Maverick cars in the '70s.


  • Aja8888 Aja8888 on Feb 01, 2024

    Ok, at the local Ford dealer, there are 303 NEW 2024 trucks available and 310 NEW 2023 trucks available. Plus, there are 73 NEW Broncos on the lot.

    • See 1 previous
    • Aja8888 Aja8888 on Feb 01, 2024

      VoGhost, the 600+ number is all trucks (F150, 250, 350). A mix of 2023 and 2024 models.


  • Ollicat Ollicat on Feb 01, 2024

    Well, tell that to Hertz in the US. They say just the opposite. EV‘s are much higher for them to ensure because they’re easily totaled with even small fender benders. Getting parts from Tesla is difficult as well. And hurts also said that it’s a frustrating user experience because they turn cars over quickly, sometimes in just an hour and there’s not enough time for the cars to be recharged. So often times people get cars that are not fully charged. What’s a customer supposed to do? Bring the car back fully charged, that’s preposterous.

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