The dynamics of the commercial vehicle market are very different from those of the fashion-driven passenger vehicle market. When it comes to electric trucks, it’s fleet buyers who are taking the initiative, from Germany’s Deutsche Post to Amazon to UPS. Now the bakery giant Grupo Bimbo has announced plans to build its own EVs.

Mexico City-based Grupo Bimbo is the world’s largest baking company, with more than 100 locations in 17 countries. Its brands include Sara Lee, Entenmann’s, Thomas’ English Muffins and Nature’s Harvest.

The new plan calls for Bimbo subsidiary Moldex to build around 1,000 electric trucks per year for the next four years for the company’s fleet, and possibly to sell vehicles to other companies as well.

“In 2012 we started planning and designing what would be Grupo Bimbo’s first electric vehicle. Today, thanks to the talent of Mexican engineers at our subsidiary Moldex, located in Lerma, State of Mexico, we have an electric distribution fleet of more than 400 vehicles, and we are ready to take this big step of expanding the fleet by 4,000 units,” said Executive VP Javier González Franco. “This will provide sustainable distribution to corner stores in Mexico using a fleet that will operate without leaving a trace on the planet.”

Energy for the electric distribution trucks will be generated by Grupo Bimbo’s Piedra Larga wind farm in Oaxaca.

José María-Aguilar, CEO of Moldex, said Grupo Bimbo has invested $146 million in its electric truck initiative. “These are the new generation of trucks, which have lithium batteries for greater load capacity and speed,” María-Aguilar said. “We have the ability to assemble up to 3,000 units per year, but we will make 1,000.”

Source: Grupo Bimbo via FreightWaves