Middle- and last-mile delivery vehicles making their rounds this holiday season will emit an estimated 32 million metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2), enough to fill seven million Olympic-sized swimming pools, according to a forecast from fleet electrification solution provider Electrada.
From Black Friday to Christmas Eve, over 6.8 million Class 3-8 vehicles, ranging from vans to long-haul tractor-trailers, will traverse America's roads. Their combined daily CO2 emissions will reach approximately 1,010,956 metric tons, totaling 31,339,636 metric tons over the 31-day holiday delivery period, the firm said.
"Many believe that holiday gifts arrive carbon-neutral via Santa and his reindeer. However, reality tells a different story,” Kevin Kushman, CEO of Electrada, said in a release. “Understanding the substantial CO2 emissions each holiday season is startling. A feasible solution, which could markedly reduce emissions by next year, involves major delivery companies like Amazon, UPS, and FedEx accelerating their shift to electric vehicles and accelerating their fleet electrification programs. The incentives, approaches, and technologies are available to make this an affordable, risk-mitigated, and realistic path to clean transportation, now."
Cincinnati-based Electrada launched in 2020 and is backed by venture capital funding including a $22 million round in 2023 and a $20 million round in 2021, both from BlackRock. The firm is building out a network of charging stations for electric vehicles through its “charging as a service” platform.
