WARWICK – Mesilla Valley Transportation, a transportation company headquartered in El Paso, Texas, has purchased close to 1,000 auxiliary solar-power systems for its fleet of Navistar trucks from Warwick-based eNow, the renewable-energy company announced Aug. 8.
Navistar’s SuperTruck program demonstration vehicle, CatalIST, recently exceeded the improvement goals set by the U.S. Department of Energy for the SuperTruck program. As part of its efforts to create the ultimate fuel-efficient truck, Navistar tested eNow’s solar-energy system on its SuperTruck at Navistar Proving Grounds.
At the same time as Navistar’s testing, Mesilla Valley Transportation tested multiple systems on its own fleet. Mesilla Valley Transportation and eNow plan to showcase the eNow solar auxiliary solar-power system during the North American Council for Freight Efficiency “Run on Less” program taking place Sept. 5-23.
“We’re always looking for innovative, more effective and efficient ways to operate,” said Royal Jones, CEO and president of Mesilla Valley Transportation.
Since deploying the eNow energy system on its Navistar fleet, Mesilla Valley Transportation has noted increased daily run time for auxiliary equipment, increased battery life from six months to two years, and decreased maintenance cost due to reduction in engine idling.
“These are exciting times for the transportation industry,” said Jeff Flath, president and CEO of eNow, in a release. “Everyone is looking at ways to reduce cost, improve efficiency and help the environment, simultaneously. We are about saving fleets money with our technology first and foremost. However, we also believe that leaving the environment in better shape than we found it is critical as well.”
Kaylen Auer is a PBN contributing writer.
