Ferguson and Ford to collaborate on fuel cell trucks

Ferguson Enterprises, LLC collaborate with Ford Motor Company to place a first-of-its-kind F550 Fuel Cell Prototype Chassis Work Truck in Participation in Ford’s F550 Fuel Cell Prototype Work Truck.

It is a DOE SuperTruck 3 Initiative that complements Ferguson’s overall sustainability strategy to reduce a sizable proportion of Scope 1 emissions from its fleet.

This pilot program aims to evaluate how fuel cell technology will operate within the Ferguson fleet while providing real-world usage data to Ford. Ferguson will provide Ford with vehicle data and feedback about the technology to help Ford better define the engineering requirements for commercial vehicle duty cycles.

This data will be used to address ongoing industry challenges within the medium-duty and heavy-duty segments, like battery range and payload capacity, that have prevented faster conversion to environmentally friendlier options. As part of this collaboration, Ferguson will also prepare a location in Charlotte, NC, to install temporary infrastructure equipment for the duration of the pilot.

This pilot program with Ford complements Ferguson’s previously announced pilot program to launch 30 class 6 through 8 all-electric delivery trucks in its fleet in collaboration with Holman and Electrada.

The turnkey fleet management and electrification solutions enable Ferguson to deploy medium- and heavy-duty all-electric vehicles throughout California while streamlining the development of the necessary charging and energy management infrastructure.

Kevin Murphy, Ferguson CEO, said, “We are taking a proactive approach to meeting the challenge for a more sustainable future, recognizing the critical role fuel-efficient trucks play to keep American businesses running.”

Denise Vaughn, Ferguson Vice President, said, “Ultimately Ferguson’s investment in new technologies will set the industry standard for private fleet conversion, driving an expansion of the country’s refueling infrastructure.”

Jim Buczkowski, executive director at Ford, said, “The potential of hydrogen, the most plentiful element on the planet, coupled with fuel cell technology has tremendous potential to power larger, heavier commercial vehicles while still delivering zero tailpipe emissions.”

Thurman Register III, Ferguson’s Senior Fleet Manager, said, “Fleets cannot delay deployment of cleaner fuel technology based on their current vehicle retention and replacement strategies.”