United Rentals, Inc., the world’s largest equipment rental company, announced it has provided all-electric trucks to Shell for use at its Geismar (La.) Chemical Manufacturing site. Shell is using the rental equipment to support plant maintenance operations as part of an on-site electric vehicle (EV) mobility pilot program. The program will test and evaluate electric vehicle use at the manufacturing facility to support future development of low-carbon, green fleet strategies for rental and Shell-owned vehicles.

The equipment package includes the all-electric, zero-emissions Ford F-150 Lightning pickup truck with a range of up to 320 miles and a maximum towing capacity of 10,000 pounds, in addition to a 9.6 kilowatt Pro Power onboard generator system. The pilot program will use a previously installed charging station inside the Geismar facility. The program will assess the EV charging station infrastructure location, re-charging time periods, range, maintenance requirements and benefit-to-cost ratio.

“Shell Geismar partnered with United Rentals on this electric vehicle mobility pilot program, which marks a step on the journey to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at the Shell Geismar Chemical Manufacturing site,” said Dai Nguyen, Shell Geismar General Manager. “The Goal is to apply what we learn at Geismar but also to other Shell businesses that rely on large fleets.”

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The Shell partnership will help United Rentals identify other industrial plant projects where emissions-saving solutions can be deployed to work towards net-zero worksites.

“United Rentals is dedicated to building a better future, which is a cornerstone in our partnership to reduce the environmental impact of fleet operations,” said Joli Gross, Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, United Rentals. “We look forward to continuing to Work United™ with customers on innovative, and on sustainable solutions that help them advance safety and reduce their carbon footprint.”

United Rentals provides end-to-end solutions that drive safety, efficiency and sustainability in chemical plant maintenance. The company offers the broadest and most versatile rental equipment fleet, digital tools and advanced solutions to address unplanned and scheduled maintenance needs. United Rentals solutions also support chemical emergency preparedness and plant shutdowns and turnarounds.

Source: United Rentals