SMUD, the US’ sixth-largest, community-owned, not-for-profit electric service provider, has partnered with Zeus Electric Chassis, Inc. and the California Mobility Center (CMC) to buy five custom, all-electric work trucks as it works to transition to an all-electric fleet.

The trucks are the only all-electric work truck chassis manufactured in North America in the medium-duty class and will be customized for a variety of uses throughout SMUD’s service territory.

SMUD, which has invested in fleet electrification for more than 10 years, has a total of 950 assets in its fleet consisting of sedans, service trucks, bucket trucks, trailers, cable pullers and other construction equipment.

Electrification efforts have depended upon commercially available technology and focused on electric and hybrid light duty vehicles and hybrid bucket trucks. Just last year, SMUD added 16 new Chevy Bolts to its fleet, bringing the count to 122 all-electric or hybrid vehicles across the fleet.

SMUD has a goal to transition 25% of its total fleet to electric or hybrid options by 2022 and recently added electric service trucks to its fleet.

Zeus is a start-up company out of Lindstrom, MN and is currently the only complete custom upfit electric truck chassis manufacturer in North America for medium-duty work trucks.

SMUD’s fleet engineers helped design the vehicle specifications and Zeus will fabricate the trucks in collaboration with the CMC. With a nine-month lead time, SMUD hopes to have the vehicles in operation by the end of the year.

SMUD was introduced to Zeus through its work with the California Mobility Center that was founded to serve as an innovation hub of policy, funding and commercialization of clean transportation technologies including autonomous transportation; electric vehicles; battery storage; shared mobility solutions; public transit and more. The goal is to provide equal opportunities in Sacramento for increased mobility and access to employment, healthcare and education.

SMUD has been providing electricity for almost 75 years to Sacramento County (and small adjoining portions of Placer and Yolo Counties).