WALTHAM, MA – National Grid will become the first energy company in the Northeast to pilot a fully electric Ford E-Transit cargo van for day-to-day operations in a pilot collaboration with Ford Motor Company. This is an important step towards reaching National Grid’s company-wide goal of moving to a 100% electric fleet by 2030 for its light-duty vehicles.

National Grid celebrated Ford’s fully electric van temporarily joining its Massachusetts fleet at a kick-off event at its Lowell yard this morning.  It will be tested there for a month before being sent to National Grid’s New York fleet for a second round of testing. Throughout the pilot, the vehicle will be used to perform normal field work that is ordinarily done by gas-powered vehicles, such as regular home meter-readings.

“We are excited to be the first energy company in the Northeast to test out Ford’s electric van,” said Badar Khan, President of National Grid, U.S. “Over the next decade, National Grid will be moving to a 100% electric fleet for our light duty vehicles and working to replace medium and heavy-duty vehicles with cleaner options. Last year, we began testing electric backhoes and this year, e-vans could bring us closer to our goal of net zero by 2050.”

Ford’s E-Transit is the first all-electric cargo van from a full-line automaker in North America, and is an electrified version of the Ford Transit, which has become America’s best-selling van. Ford will use feedback and data from the pilot program to validate real-world vehicle performance across a broad range of use cases, upfits, temperatures and driving environments to continue to refine products and develop additional training tools.

"The all-electric E-Transit will be a game changer for utility companies like National Grid, who rely on commercial vans to support their field service operations,” said Andrew Walker, Ford Pro E-Transit Marketing Manager. “The electric powertrain enables zero emissions and 40% savings related to reduction of fuel costs and less maintenance while delivering all the versatility and capability our Transit customers rely on today. Field technicians will love Pro Power Onboard because it lets them run power tools off the vehicle at remote job sites. E-Transit will be a great tool for National Grid to meet its productivity and sustainability objectives."

With this pilot, National Grid hopes to continue leading the way in its transition to a clean energy future.

About National Grid

About National Grid: National Grid (NYSE: NGG) is an electricity, natural gas, and clean energy delivery company serving more than 20 million people through our networks in New York, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. National Grid is transforming our electricity and natural gas networks with smarter, cleaner, and more resilient energy solutions to meet the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

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