Anheuser-Busch to Deploy Electric Trucks in Valley

The San Fernando Valley will figure in the deployment of 21 electric trucks made by BYD Motors Inc. for the beverage distribution network of by Anheuser-Busch Cos. The beer maker’s Sylmar distribution facility is one of four in Southern California to use the second-generation 8TT Class 8 electric trucks, which were assembled at the BYD factory in Lancaster. The Center for Transportation and the Environment, a nonprofit based in Atlanta, will be responsible for overseeing and managing the project. The center anticipates the trucks being on the road by the end of the year with full project completion in early 2021. It received funds from the California Air Resources Board to manage the project. Engie Services U.S., a division of Engie, in Oakland, will design and install the charging stations at all four facilities, which includes Riverside, Pomona and Carson in addition to Sylmar. Angie Slaughter, vice president of sustainability procurement at the St. Louis brewer, the U.S. arm of Anheuser-Busch InBev, in Belgium, said it was committed to a more sustainable future by reducing carbon emissions by 25 percent by 2025. “The transport industry is one that is prime for innovative solutions and we are excited to continue driving progress towards a zero-emission fleet through this partnership,” Slaughter said in a statement.