HOWELL– Snedicor’s Cleaners owner Jim Gilligan tested the 2023 Ford E-Transit vehicle earlier this year, and declared the vehicle “a potential winner.” It’s the first EV delivery vehicle in its fleet.
Since moving Snedicor’s services to exclusively pickup and delivery, Snedicor has explored ways to make the company’s delivery fleet as environmentally friendly as possible. The company earlier had moved to environmental stewardship in its operations with its GreenEarth Cleaning process.
EV1, as it has been named, has 120 miles of range, works routes averaging 60 miles with 70-80 stops, while operating 5-6 hours per day. That’s averaging 15 stops per hour. So far, it has operated in temperatures as low as 26 degrees Fahrenheit and achieved the same range as in 50-degree temperatures. Snedicor’s drivers report they have been very comfortable on those mid=20s days.
Many have asked about reliability in gauging the vehicle’s range.
“The actual miles vs miles/battery percentage gauge has always been spot-on,” Gilligan said. “When it leaves the process lab at 120 miles, 100 percent of range, it returns from a 60-mile route with very close to 60 miles, 50 percent range on the gauge every time. A reliable delivery vehicle is critical to providing the high standards Snedicor’s sets of always delivering on time, as promised.”
If the data holds up, Gilligan said he plans to shift more miles and stops to the electric van. And when Ford rolls out a 200-mile-range E-Transit, Gilligan said he feels confident that Snedicor’s fleet could run 100 percent on electric vehicles.
