Alco Iron & Metal deploys Orange EV all-electric Class 8 truck to expand sustainability efforts

Alco Iron & Metal Company (Alco), San Leandro, California, and Orange EV, Kansas City, Missouri, have announced the deployment of an Orange EV T-Series pure electric terminal truck to move material at Alco’s San Leandro metal recycling facility, thereby expanding sustainability efforts with a more reliable truck that costs less to operate.

Alco specializes in chemical-free metal recycling, preserving non-renewable natural resources and reducing waste in landfills. With over 60 years of operation, the company has recovered millions of tons of materials that have been placed back into production. According to Alco, deploying the Orange EV zero-emission Class 8 truck extends the company’s mission to promote stewardship of natural resources, eliminating diesel fuel and diesel-related waste streams.

“As a metal recycler, sustainability is central to Alco’s mission. We take pride in refining our operations to recycle metal materials in the most economically and environmentally sensitive manner,” said Alco President Kem Kantor. “Deploying Orange EV all-electric is a natural fit, reducing our carbon footprint in an economically sustainable way. We’ve already had reduced downtime and expect to see reduced fuel and maintenance costs.”

All Orange EV trucks are built to meet site-specific needs and duty cycles. For the San Leandro operation, Alco deployed the 80 kW T-Series equipped with standard charging using 240 VAC circuits. Since March, Alco’s Orange EV truck has been working in a 2-shift operation moving 80,000-pound trailers between multiple large industrial yards. Replacing an Alco diesel with Orange EV electric will eliminate an estimated 506 tons of carbon dioxide—and more than 45,000 gallons of diesel consumption—over 10 years of operation.

“We appreciate the opportunity to support Alco Iron & Metal whose core operation, like Orange EV’s, is environmentally focused,” said Kurt Neutgens, Orange EV’s chief technology officer. “With more than 1.85 million miles of operation and counting, the T-Series has proven to meet site demands with safer, more energy efficient, zero-emission trucks. Orange EV offers the all-electric turnkey solution that industrial fleets require.”

Alco utilized funding from California’s Clean Off-Road Equipment Voucher Incentive Project (CORE) to purchase the Orange EV truck, and in ongoing operations, Alco will be able to generate quarterly income from the Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) marketable carbon credit program.

“We appreciate the continuing efforts of the California Air Resources Board and our local air district to develop and implement a variety of clean fuel and clean vehicle incentives programs,” stated Kantor. “Their support helped drive this first deployment and will certainly aid our future plans for electric. We are currently exploring the opportunity to add another Orange EV truck to our fleet.”